*^o* 






4 o 



V* CT 



H « <^ 



4^ 



!.''• 







5 ' * 



4 o 



o 



aV . o - « . v ^- 






0° -^'- ?- ■** 










<j. *o • ► 










.4 1 





0° .'^> .^°o 











.■%"'"y 







•^ >* ;;•. ^ .#■ 



^^ 



aV V ^ 



,0^ ^o'-^^^A^ 




.y 



•^ 



4 o 







BREWSTER 
SHIP MASTERS 



BY 



J. Henry Sears. 



With Foreword By Joseph C. Lincoln, 
Author of « Cape Cod Ballads," « Cap'n EriP 

TOGETHER WITH 
A Chapter in Reminiscence By .Joseph II /Sears. 



YARriOUTHPORT. flASS.: 
C. W. SWIFT, PUBLISHER. 
1906. 







Copyright, 190(5, 
By CHARLES W. SWIFT. 



No. 



ILLUSTRATIONS. 



Opposite Page 

Ship « Ellen Sears." 2 

960 tons. Built in East Dennis, 1864. Sailed from 
San Francisco, 1867, for Liverpool, and was never 
heard from. Commanded by J. F. Bartlett, who 
was first officer of ship " Wild Wave " with Captain 
J. F. Knowles, when she was lost on Oeno, February, 
1858. From a painting now in possession of J. Henry 
Sears. 

Ship « Ten Brothers." 10 

•231 tons register. Built at Sullivan. Maine, 1810. 
Type of vessel of that time. Commanded by Elijah 
Cobb, Freeman Foster, David Nickerson, From a 
painting in possession of Mrs. C. A. Bradley. 

Brig"Carib." 12 

200 tons. Built about 1825. Commanded by David 
Nickerson. From a painting in possession of H. 
Sears Hoyt of New York. 

Ship " Imperial." 18 

1331 tons. Built at Quincy, Massachusetts, 1869. 
Converted into a coal barge, 1894. Lost on Barnegat 
Shoal, New Jersey, 1896. The figure-head was taken 
off when she was made into a coal barge and is now 
mounted upon a pedestal near the shore in Brewster. 
Commanded by James E. Crosby. 

Ship " Ocean King." 22 

Built at Kennebunk, Maine, in 1874. 2516 tons 
register. The first four-masted ship built in this 



Index. 

Opposite Page 

country and one of the largest at the time. Aban- 
doned at sea on fire on her passage from Puget sound 
to San Francisco, May, 1887. Commanded by Captain 
William Freeman, but he was not in her when she 
was lost. From a painting in possession of Captain 
Freeman. 

Ship « W. B. Dinsmore." 26 

1075 tons. Built at Bath, Maine, 1864. Abandoned 
at sea on fire, 1870, while on her passage from Cardiff 
to Bombay. Commanded by Captain N. F. Foster. 
From a painting belonging to Brewster Ladies' library. 

Ship "Faneuil Hall." 46 

547 tons. Built at Medford in 1846. Lost off the 
coat of Brazil in 1866. Masters at different times 
were Elisha Bangs, Joseph H. Sears, Freeman H. 
Bangs, Barna C. Foster, J. Henry Sears. 

Ship "Titan." 48 

2360 tons. Built at New York in 1854. Abandoned 
at sea, March, 1859, on the passage from Callao to 
London. Commanded by J. Henry Sears. From an 
oil painting now in possession of the Bostonian 
society, of Boston. 

Ship "Konohassett." 50 

520 tons. Built about 1840. Commanded by Captain 
Jonathan Foster. From a painting in possession of 
H. E. Foster. 



Ship " Monsoon." 54 

About 300 tons. Built previous to 1795. Com- 
manded by Captain Elijah Cobb and Captain David 
Nickerson. Type of ship of that period. From a 
painting in possession of Miss C. A. Dugan. 



Index. 

Opposite Page 

Ship "Glory of the Seas." 58 

2120 tons. Built by Donald McKay at East Boston 
in 1869. Now lying in the harbor of San Francisco, 
no paying business being available. Commanded at 
different times by Captain E. F. Sears and Captain 
J. N. Knowles and Captain Joshua Freeman. This 
photograph is from an oil painting now in possession 
of H. J. Knowles. It represents the ship entering 
the harbor of San Francisco after her famous passage 
of 95 days from New York. 

Steam Tug "Anglo-Norman." 78 

Built for the purpose of towing ships from mouth of 
the Mississippi river to New Orleans. Exploded on 
the trial trip three miles above the city in 1850. 

Brig " Margaret." 60 

About 250 tons. Type of vessel built in 1830. 
Commanded by Captain Solomon Freeman. From a 
painting in possession of Mrs. O. C. Winslow. 





Index. 




P OR TRAITS. 








Opposite Page 


Bangs, Elisha 







> Bangs, Elkanah 




10 


• Berry, Benjamin F. 




8 


Clark, Tsaac 




10 


Cobb, Elijah 




14 


Crosby, Tully 


■ 


24 


Foster, Freeman 




30 


Freeman, Solomon 




34 


Freeman, William 




80 


Hopkins, Reuben 




38 


Knowles, Josiah N. 




40 


Knowles, Winslow L. 




42 


-Mayo, Jeremiah 




02 


-Nickerson, David 




00 


Nickerson, Frederic 




OS 


Nickerson, Joseph 




70 


Sears, Elisha F. 




72 


Sears, J. Henn 




74 


Sears, Joseph H, 




70 



PREFACE. 



THE writer, in presenting this book to the public, desires 
to place in print the records of Brewster ship masters. This 
chronicle includes those who were masters of ships or vessels 
engaged in foreign trade and who were born or lived in the 
town, and others who made it their home while pursuing their 
occupations. 

With few exceptions this record commences with those 
who were living in the town not earlier than 1840, and the 
larger proportion of them were personally known to the 
writer. During the Revolution many were engaged in 
privateering and whaling, and of the thirty -two soldiers whose 
graves are marked in the old burying ground as having served 
as soldiers during the Revolution, a great number of them 
were sailors. 

It is believed that more shipmasters engaged in foreign 
trade went from the town of Brewster than from any other 
town or place in the country, in numerical proportion to its 
inhabitants. From a population numbering about one thou- 
sand people we have the names of one hundred and fifteen 
shipmasters living since the year 1840, and during the 
year 1850 there were over fifty living there at one time. 
Some few others were engaged in fishing and in the coasting 
trade from one port to another in the United States, but most 
of the young men in the town who followed the sea became 
masters of vessels engaged in trade to all parts of the world. 
Generally they had an interest in and were part owners of the 
ships they commanded and often two or three of them would 
join together and own in the same ship and would take turns 



ii Brewster Ship Masters. 

in its command; consequently a part of them would be at 
home all the time. 

They would often meet mornings, after taking their break- 
fast, in Joe Lincoln's grandfather's shop, and it was the 
writer's privilege when he chanced to be at home to hear them 
tell stories of their voyages at sea. It was interesting to hear 
these old captains, who had visited nearly every port in the 
world, tell their adventures. 

In the early times and up to about 1845 they purchased 
their cargoes and traded between different ports, usually 
returning to their home port with cargoes purchased abroad. 
Later they engaged to take cargoes from other parties and then 
while in foreign ports had to decide what cargoes to take and 
what business was most desirable in which to engage. The 
master, besides sailing his ship while at sea, in port had to act 
the part of merchant in buying and selling cargoes and 
procuring freight for his ship. Up to the time of telegraph 
and cable communication, he had entire charge of procuring 
business for the ship after leaving the home port, which in 
most cases was Boston. 

The town was in the halo of its prosperity about 1850. 
From that time the number of ship masters began to decrease. 
The business declining, there was no inducement for young 
men to go to sea. At the present time there are but three 
ship masters living in the town, and so far as can be 
ascertained but four others, who were born or ever lived in 
the town, now living elsewhere. As late as the year 1855 the 
shipyards in New England were very active in building ships 
for their own use. Too, they built and sold them to foreign 
countries. They could be built at less cost than elsewhere 
and were better ships, always commanding the preference of 
taking cargoes in any foreign ports. At that time, however, 
the English commenced to build iron ships and steamers. The 
cost of construction in this country was made greater. Our 
ship owners could not build nor buy them in any foreign 



Brewster Ship Masters. iii 

country and place them under our flag. So the business 
between our country and foreign countries soon passed into 
other hands. With the decline of our shipping, there was no 
chance for the Brewster boy to go to sea, with any prospect of 
advancing to become master, and he was obliged to seek other 
means of a livelihood. 

Had our navigation laws allowed us to build or buy ships 
wherever we could and in the lowest markets and place them 
under the American flag, the writer believes the Atlantic 
carrying trade would now be under the American flag and the 
ships would be owned by Americans and many of them now 
be commanded by Brewster captains. 

During the writer's business life from 1860 to 1890, he had 
sailing as captains of vessels thirty ship masters from this 
town, of ships under his control or of which he was agent or 
part owner. Many of these masters were part owners of the 
ships they commanded. 

From the year 1800 to 1830 the ships then employed in 
foreign trade were on an average about 300 tons register. 

In 1850 there were many ships of from 1000 to 1200 tons 
register. 

From 1860 to 1870 they increased in size and there were 
several of about 2400 tons. While there are very few full- 
rigged ships of any size now in existence, there are schooners 
of double the size of the ships of 1860. 

The coastwise trade, in which no foreign flag can engage, is 
in a prosperous condition, while the foreign trade, open to flags 
of all nations, is almost entirely done by other countries. 

The day of the supremacy of the Brewster ship masters has 
passed and with it one of the most prosperous periods in 
Brewster's history. Of the two remaining commanders now 
living in the town, Captain William Freeman at the ripe age of 
eighty-six is still hale and hearty, and the other representative 
is not far behind. 

The character of the town is changed and but few of the old 



iv Jirewster Ship Masters. 

stock has any descendants now living in the town. The 
summer visitor has come, and it is for the interest of all to 
make the town as attractive as possible, so that it may regain 
its former prosperous condition, only in a different way. 

In obtaining the information in regard to the records of the 
skip masters, the writer has made inquiries of the descendants 
and relatives, so far as they can be found, and has supplied 
additional data from his own personal recollections. He was 
very ably assisted in preparing the work for the printer by 
Mrs. Ellen Foster Sears, who has since passed away. 

Elsewhere in this volume are recorded the tributes of two 
sons of the Cape, who have done much to perpetuate the name 
and fame of these captains courageous. Their estimates of 
the hardy race of mariners are fitting tributes to their worth 
and appropriately form a foreword to be followed by the 
human documents themselves, as embodied in the records. 

J. HENRY SEARS. 



FOREWORD. 



By sport of bitter weather 

We're walty, strained and scarred 
From the kentledge on the kelson 

To the slings upon the yard. 
Six oceans had their will of us 

To carry all away — 
Our galley 's in the Baltic, 

And our boom 's in Mossel bay ! 

— Kipling, " The Merchantmen." 

BEFORE noon of a day in October, 1849, Henry David 
Thoreau, author and nature-lover, quitted the Cape Cod train 
at what was at that time the railroad terminus at Sandwich 
and took "that almost obsolete conveyance, the stage, for 
* as far as it went that day,' as we told the driver." "As 
far as it went that day," was, as a matter of fact, as far as the 
down-the-Cape stage from Sandwich went on any other day, 
and that was as far as the Higgins tavern in Orleans. It is 
probable that the driver was Mr. Higgins himself and, if so, 
that he wore his carefully brushed silk hat and passed it 
about among his passengers as a depository for their fares. 
That this was Mr. Higgins's regular custom, the writer believes, 
because his grandmother used to tell him so, just as she told 
him the story of Moses in the bulrushes, and of the wonderful 
sagacity of Capt. Barney Paine's little schooner, the Boston 
packet, which, being lost in the bay during a violent storm and 
with a broken compass, stranded on the flats directly opposite 
her skipper's home in Brewster, thus proving that "she knew 
her way home all by herself." 

At any rate, Mr. Thoreau, as passenger in the stage, was 



vi Brewster Ship Masters. 

driven that day through Barnstable, Yarmouth and Dennis, 
until "late in the afternoon we rode through Brewster, so 
named after Elder Brewster, for fear he would be forgotten 
else. * * * This appeared to be the modern-built town 
of the Cape, the favorite residence of retired sea captains. It 
is said that 'there are more masters and mates of vessels which 
sail on foreign voyages belonging to this place than to any 
other town in the country.' " 

Thoreau did not like Brewster, principally, it appears, 
because of the prevalence of "modern American houses" and 
the evidences of thrift and prosperity. He did not alight 
there, but went on to spend the night at the Higgins tavern 
in the next town. Therefore, Brewster missed the opportunity 
of figuring prominently in the Thoreau book, "Cape Cod," 
and that book, so we of Brewster heritage believe, lacks just 
so much of deep sea flavor and local color. There was more 
of Cape Cod than the odd characters, the poverty-grass and 
the sand dunes, that the hermit of Lake Walden found in '49, 
and more than the magnificent beaches and inspiring ocean 
views, which attract the summer resident today. 

And Brewster, before and after Thoreau's transitory visit, 
was " the modern-built town of the Cape." Its streets were 
shaded with fine old trees, its houses were large and substan- 
tial and the men who built and owned them were large and 
substantial, too. They made their fortunes — fortunes that 
were the beginnings of bigger ones for their descendants 
in Boston, New York and many another city — by sailing over 
pretty nearly all the wet places on the earth's surface and 
bargaining and risking and daring, with Yankee shrewdness 
and Yankee bravery. 

Sea captains? Why, there were none but sea captains, 
or the wives and children of sea captains, in Brewster of old. 
When the writer was a Brewster boy, in the 70's, the 
American merchant marine was on the wane, but even then 
it was practically certain and safe to hail an adult Brewster 



Brewster Ship Masters. vii 

citizen by the title, "Cap'n." Cap'n Snow kept the village 
grocery, Cap'n Foster was chairman of selectmen, Cap'n 
Baker endowed the library, Cap'n Nickerson's donation 
repaired and painted the meeting-house, and of that meeting- 
house, deacons and pew holders, sexton and choir-leader, — 
indeed, every male but the minister himself, was captain. 

In the 40's and 50's the young man born in Brewster, 
who did not go to sea as soon as his schooling was complete, 
was a shiftless no-account, unfit to associate with the 
aristocracy. His comrades shipped as cabin-boys, under 
Brewster captains of their fathers' acquaintance and with 
Brewster mates and many Brewster members of the crew, 
studied navigation, and, at ages ranging from twenty-one to 
twenty-five, became captains themselves. Later they intended 
to become ship-owners, with offices in Boston or New York 
and with property afloat on every sea. Some day they were to 
come back to Brewster, build fine houses and settle down at 
ease, while their own sons took up the work. 

In the old Brewster houses were ivory carvings and Japanese 
silk hangings, sandal-wood boxes and alabaster images of the 
Coliseum and the Leaning Tower at Pisa. On each side of 
the grand, unused front doors were mammoth seashells of 
curious shapes. In the closets, usually, were boxes of other 
shells picked up on tropic beaches or purchased in the bazaars 
of Calcutta or Mauritius. The children of the household had 
these shells for playthings. The « box of shells " still lingers 
in many a gray -haired youngster's memory. 

The stories by the fire, the gossip at the postoffice or at the 
breakfast table, were all of the sea — salty. Nearly every 
family had at least one member afloat and letters came at 
intervals with queer foreign stamps, and news months old, to 
be read and discussed over and over again. Captains and 
their wives left town to be gone for years, or came home to be 
welcomed and made much of. Women and children saw 
husbands and fathers only at long intervals and waited for 



viii Brewster Ship Masters. 

news of their arrival in far-off ports. Sometimes they waited 
and when the news came it was in the form of a letter from a 
mate or a steward and told of a death and burial at sea. 
Sometimes they waited — waited — and no news came, no news 
of ship, nor officers, nor crew. Many a stone in the Brewster 
cemetery has "lost at sea" carven on it and the mystery of 
that loss will always be a mystery. 

And now all this is changed. The merchant marine 
of America, the fleets of square-rigged sailing ships, are 
no more. The young men of Cape Cod no longer go to sea. 
In Brewster, only one or two of the old-time sea captains yet 
live. The houses are closed in winter and in the spring 
opened only as havens for city- weary sojourners. The Cape 
is becoming only a summer resort and its deep-sea flavor 
only a memory. 

So, as a tale of a life that is ended, these records of 
Brewster's sea captains are of value to Cape Codders 
wherever they may be. They are incomplete and fragmen- 
tary, because men of action are seldom men of words and the 
deeds they did and the dangers they dared were, to them, 
only parts of the day's work. Their descendants are scattered 
and, in many cases, their recollections are those of children, 
who remember that their father went to sea during a portion, 
or all, of his life, that he commanded such and such a vessel — 
only, perhaps, one or two of the number that he did command 
— and that he " never talked much about it." Why should 
he have talked about it — to them ? Seeing them, it may be, 
only at intervals of from one to three years, he doubtless 
considered that lie had other things of infinitely more impor- 
tance to talk about. 

But that the little town of Brewster, Massachusetts, should 
have sent forth so many commanders of deep-sea ships in times 
when there were few or no cables, and when in the hands of 
the captains were, of necessity, left responsibilities of both 
owner and shipper, is something to be proud of. Add to this 



Brewster Ship Masters. ix 

the fact that in a few years there will, in all probability, be no 
more Cape Cod captains of sailing craft, and this collection of 
brief biographies, incomplete though it be, becomes distinctly 
worth while. 

JOSEPH C. LINCOLN. 

New York, November 30, 1905. 



RECORDS OF 
BREWSTER SHIP MASTERS 



WILLIAM A. ARTHUR. 

Born in Brewster in 1822. He went to sea in early life, as 
sailor and mate, in ships in foreign trade. He volunteered and 
served as master's mate in the navy during the civil war. 
After the close of the war he was master of the ship 
" Kentuckian," making several voyages in the Atlantic trade. 
He retired from the sea in 1878. He always made Brewster 
his home and died there in May, 1892. 

BENJAMIN C. BAKER. 

He was born in Brewster, September 29, 1841. His first 
voyage as boy was in the ship " Tropic " to Australia. Later 
he was mate of the ship " Memnon," and then master of that 
ship for seventeen years, making voyages to South America, 
Europe and East Indies. An account of his voyage in the 
barque W. H. Besse in 1883 is as follows: 

Nestling since yesterday in her cosy quarters in South 
Boston, the barque W. H. Besse, from Manila, the first that 
has reached us with vivid realization of the volcanic eruptions 
in Asia, gives little indication of the extraordinary perils 
through which she has passed. The strange particulars as 
gleaned by a Journal reporter from a careful reading of the 
log book, as well as from the narratives of the captain, mate 
and others, resolve themselves into the following story : 



2 Brewster Ship Masters. 

After forty days, spent in the capital of the largest island, 
Manila, where Capt. Baker's vessel suffered the loss of several 
seamen by the epidemic of cholera, the W. H. Besse set sail 
for Boston on the 27th of May. The Macassar straits were 
soon reached, with light and variable winds. She fell in with 
the barque J. M. Bourne and ship Northern Light and kept 
company as far as Thousand Islands, the Northern Light being 
ahead and the Bourne astern most of the time. At 5 p. m., on 
June 24, she struck on a coral reef, which has not yet been 
found on any chart. They hailed the Bourne, about 75 yards 
astern, to keep off, which she did. The pumps were set to 
work, but they were unable to start off the reef until 11 p. m., 
and then she floated in eleven fathoms. 

The vessel began to fill, and it was found necessary to heave 
over a portion of the cargo (sugar). After letting go the port 
anchor and getting the lifeboats ready, the whole power of 
those on board was required to keep out the water during the 
night. Three heavy hawsers were lost in the vain attempt to 
pull the vessel off. At midnight the men were completely 
exhausted, and the pumping was stopped. Happily, on the 
2Gth, the Dutch steamer Governor General Peit came up and 
succeeded in starting the barque oft' toward Batavia, 40 coolies 
who were on board being constantly employed in keeping the 
water out until they arrived at Batavia Roads at 7.30 a. m., on 
the 27th. Here the barque was repaired, new supplies were 
had, and the log book received the signature of the resident 
American consul. The backward step to Batavia consumed 
two months, but a pleasing change from the choleric and 
eruptive Philippines Avas found in this quaint old Java seaport, 
the capital of the Netherland Islands, with its Dutch canals 
and Yankee horse-cars, and its absorbing trade of the Malay 
archipelago. 

Having sailed toward the Straits of Sunda on the 26th of 
August, light airs and calms were met. Throughout the 
afternoon and night heavy reports were heard like the 



Brewster Ship Masters. 3 

discharge of heavy artillery, the sounds seeming to come from 
the direction of Krakatoa island, situated in the Straits of 
Sunda, latitude 6 deg. 9 min. south, longitude 105 deg. 29 min. 
It became very dark and cloudy through the night, with 
continued and countless flashes of lightning. The barometer 
was 30.15. Monday, August 27, opened with strong breezes 
and thick, cloudy weather. At 9.30 a. m. the pilot left the 
vessel. Since daybreak a dark heavy bank had been noticed 
to the westward, which continuing to rise, the sun was obscured 
and the whole heavens black. All hands were called on deck, 
every bit of canvas furled, the port anchor let go, and Captain 
Baker, with the fortitude of one resolved to die at his post, 
calmly awaited the catastrophe. Scarcely had the sails and 
port anchor been disposed of than the squall struck the side of 
the barque with terrific force. The starboard anchor was then 
let go with eighty fathoms of chain. With the squall came a 
heavy shower of sand and ashes. The atmosphere was darker 
than the darkest night. The barometer continued to rise and 
fall an inch at a time. The wind blew a hurricane, and the 
water was lashed into such a tumultuous motion as can hardly 
be conceived. A heavy rumbling, with reports like steadily 
increasing thunder, continued, and the awful blackness overhead 
was made still more appalling by the lurid and fitful lightning 
that flashed in jagged yet concentric streaks. The captain 
describes the darkness as the most intense he ever knew, and? 
although still daytime, there was not enough daylight to see 
one's own hand. At this time Breeze island was bearing 
north by west about five or six miles, and Anjier, which 
witnessed the terrible destruction of land and life from the 
earthquake and eruptions, was in comparative proximity. A 
stifling smell of sulphur filled the whole atmosphere, making 
it difficult to do the amount of breathing necessary to sustain 
consciousness. All the elements of nature seemed massed in 
menacing hostility. The tide was setting strongly to the west, 
and the barque rushed along under bare poles at the rate of 



4 Brewster Ship Masters. 

14 knots an hour. The sounds and scenes through all the 
hours of day and night were of the most awful description. 
The shrieking wind, the spuming and churning waves, the 
murky and impenetrable veil overhead and on every side, and 
the tons of ashes, pumice stone and earthy fragments that 
threatened to engulf the fated vessel, combined to daze and 
appall every soul on board. From the poor little Chinaman, 
who had linked his lot with this vessel for six years, to the 
hapless native of the Philippines, the hardy Scandinavian who 
had weathered many a gale, the cheery and courteous mate, 
and even to the master of the ship, there was spread the 
common feeling of some catastrophe and the sense of 
disturbance in nature utterly beyond any experience of a 
mariner. Several were sure that the day of final judgment 
had come. 

At 3 p. m. the sky began to grow a little lighter, although 
the ashes and other volcanic matter continued to fall. The 
barque hove short on her starboard anchor. The barometer 
rose and fell rapidly and then became stationary. The whole 
ship, rigging and masts were coated with sand and ashes to 
a depth of several inches. 

August 27 began with light airs and thick, smoky weather, 
and there was a dead calm through the day and night. We 
saw vast quantities of trees and dead fish floating by with the 
tide, the water having a whitish appearance caused by a 
surface of light ashes. It was soon discovered that mighty 
changes had been wrought in the outlines of sea and shores, 
while islands had sunk, the entire northwest part of Krakatoa 
island had disappeared, and the beautiful forest-clothed 
islands of Lang and Verlaten had been completely denuded. 
The day ended with a dead calm and thick, smoky atmosphere. 

On August 28, the day came in with calm, thick, murky 
weather. Immense masses of cocoanuts, trees and fish were 
encountered, the debris extending over a surface of more than 
five hundred miles. In the afternoon no lighthouse or sign of 



Brewster Ship Masters. 5 

life could be discerned. All light sails were furled, and the 
barque stood out under easy sail through the night. On 
Thursday, August 30, the water was covered with large trees 
and driftwood, it being almost impossible to steer clear of 
them. A sharp lookout was kept in the forecastle through 
the day and masses of dead bodies were passed. At 10 a. m. 
Java lighthouses were sighted, and wind hauling ahead the 
barque kept away to the westward of Punce island. On 
August 31 four seamen were off duty on account of Java fever; 
the remainder of the crew were kept engaged in clearing ashes 
off the rigging. The captain now suffered a new deprivation 
in the serious illness of the mate, Mr. S. B. Gibbs. 

On September 7, a severe squall struck the ship, and the 
deck was flooded fore and aft. With comparatively little 
exception, fair weather was then had until November 26' 
when latitude 35.05, longitude 74.25 was reached, and a heavy 
swell from northwest was felt and flashes of lightning were 
seen in the north. At 2 a. m. the next morning, without the 
least warning, the sky was lit from southwest to southeast, 
and, the storm increasing rapidly, all hands were called on 
deck, all sails furled and hatches battened down. A strong 
gale came on, which increased to a hurricane, and a topsail 
was lost. The ship rolled and the men worked the pumps 
constantly. For several days the gale continued, the seas 
made a clean break over the ship, and it was necessary to 
extend life-lines fore and aft in order to protect the crew, who 
were almost prostrated by their exertions at the pumps. 
Seventy-five tons of sugar were thrown overboard to save the 
ship. 

A sad event at this time was the death and burial of the 
Scandinavian mariner, Scrit Salensan. Of a crew of 22 had at 
Manila, only five men available for work were left when the 
barque was towed up Boston harbor. Two were lying sick 
when she reached the wharf in South Boston, and late in the 
afternoon the mate was obliged to send to the hospital one 



6 Brewster Ship Masters. 

who was not expected to live through the night. In conse- 
quence of the losses it was found necessary to secure extra 
men for the work of the ship. " You bet," said the little man 
of Chinese race and Philippine growth, "You bet we had a 
hard voyage." 

FRANKLIN BAKER. 

He was born in Brewster, October 3, 1802. He was master 
of vessels in the West Indies trade, and on one of those 
voyages was lost at sea in 1840. We have been unable to 
ascertain the names of the vessels he commanded. 

JOHN FRANKLIN BAKER. 

He was born in Brewster, November 5, 1836. He commenced 
a sea life as sailor and officer of several ships, and later was 
master of ships " Kentuckian," « Gold Hunter," "Pride of the 
Port," and barque "Aurelia." Upon retiring from the sea, he 
settled in Osterville, where he is now living (1905). 

JUDAH P. BAKER. 

He was born in Brewster, December 7, 1807. He started 
as a sailor when a boy. He soon rose to the command of the 
barques "Anita," " Maria " and " Black Hawk " in the Mediter- 
ranean trade. Later he commanded the ships " Shooting Star " 
and " Flying Dragon," making some very short passages to and 
from San Francisco and China. He died while in command 
of the ship " Plying Dragon," on the passage from Boston to 
San Francisco in 1853. 

EL I SUA BANGS. 

He was born in Brewster, October 7, 1805. He began early 
to go to sea, and soon had the command of ships "Rajah," 




CAPTAIN ELISHA BANGS 



Brewster /Ship Masters. 7 

" Denmark," " Faneuil Hall " and " Crimea." Pie retired from 
the aea about 1855, and owned and was interested in many 
ships in the foreign trade, and was a prominent man in the 
town. He always lived in Brewster and died there April 9, 
1886. 

ELKANAH BANGS. 

He was born in Harwich, now Brewster, July 29, 1783. In 
1829, he was in command of the brig "Danube," on a voyage 
from Boston to Valparaiso. Through the kindness of his 
grandson, W. H. Bangs, we were permitted to examine the 
log book of this brig while under his command on a trading 
voyage to Valparaiso, Coquimbo, Callao and several other 
ports in South America, returning again to Boston. Evidently 
there was no chronometer on board, as the log shows 
that the positions were ascertained daily by altitudes of the 
sun, moon or stars. After retiring from the sea he owned and 
managed several ships in the foreign trade, under the firm 
name of E. Bangs & Son. He died in Brewster, August 23, 
1863. 

FREEMAN II BANGS. 

Born in Brewster, November 1, 1809. He commenced going 
to sea as a boy. In 1836, had command of the brig " Roxana " 
in the Mediterranean trade. He was commander of several 
different ships, among them being the "Joseph Holmes," 
"Faneuil Hall" and "Celeste Clark." While he had the 
" Faneuil Hall," she was lost off the coast of Brazil, bound to 
Calcutta. He retired from the sea in 1865, and died in 
January, 1866, in Brewster, where he had always made his 
home. 

GEORGE F. BANGS. 

He was born in Brewster, October 19, 1831. After serving 
as sailor and mate of several ships, he had charge of barques 



8 Brewster Ship Masters. 

" Rienzi " and « Corea." While master of the barque " Corea," 
he died at Panama, July 8, 1875, and was buried there. 

HIRAM B. BANGS. 

He was born in Brewster, September 11, 1824. After 
serving as sailor and officer of several ships, he had command 
of the ships " Reliance, " " Rienzi " and " Mary Bangs." While 
master of the "Mary Bangs," she was lost in the Gulf of 
California. After retiring from the sea, he moved to Orleans, 
where he died, October, 1879. 

BENJAMIN F. BERR Y. 

He was born in Brewster, June 1, 1802. Followed the sea. 
Among the later ships that he commanded were the barques 
" Valtralla," " Rienzi " and " Cochituate," and ship " Reliance." 
He retired from the sea in 1855, and always lived in Brewster, 
where he died in June, 18G4. 

ISAAC BERRY. 

He was born in Brewster, July 6, 1786. All that can be 
ascertained of his sea life is that he had command of the brig 
" Sally," which sailed from Amsterdam for Boston in January, 
1822, and was never more heard from. It is supposed that 
she was lost on this coast in a storm that occurred about the 
time she was due to arrive in Boston. 

BENJAMIN E. BERR Y, JR. 

lie was born in Brewster, November 11, 1886. He started 
early to go to sea. The first ship that he had command of 
was the " Oxenbridge," in the Atlantic trade. Later he 
had the "Titan," in the California trade. He was master 
of the " Titan " for twelve years, and died while in command 
of her on the passage from Manila to Boston, in 1881. He 
was buried in Brewster. 




CAPTAIN B. P. BERRY 



Brewster Ship Masters. 9 

THEODORE BERRY. 

He was born in Brewster (Harwich), July 5, 1779. He was 
master of vessels in the Mediterranean trade, but nothing 
definite can be ascertained in regard to the ships that he 
commanded. He died in Dennis about 1855. 

BEL A B. BERRY, JR. 

He was born in Brewster, October 26, 1831. He commanded 
the barques " Young Turk " and " Nautilus " in the Mediter- 
ranean trade, and barques " Sumter," " Philomena," " Mountain 
Wave " and " Central America " in the South American trade. 
While in charge of barque "Young Turk," she was lost on 
Cape Sable, Nova Scotia. Crew all saved. He eailed from 
New York for London, February 20, 1863, in command of 
barque "Augusta," and was never heard from after leaving 
New York. 

WILLIAM H. BURGESS. 

He was born in Brewster, February 25, 1829. He began 
going to sea in his boyhood and rose to the command of several 
fine clipper ships. Among them were the " Whirlwind " and 
" Challenger." His family removed to Sandwich while he was 
at sea. The time and place of his death have not been 
ascertained, as none of his descendants are living in Brewster. 

ISAAC CLARK. 

He was born in Harwich, now Brewster, October 10, 1761. 
He was a ship master in the Russia trade. Was chosen 
representative to the general court from 1803 to 1812 (nine 
years). He had ten children. He commanded the first 
mercantile vessel to display the American flag in the White 
sea. He died on the coast of Africa, February 11, 1819. 



10 Brewster Ship Masters. 

WILLIAM CLARK. 

He was born in Brewster, February 7, 1808. He went to 
sea early and the names of his first ships are not known, but 
later he commanded the ship " Brewster." He always lived 
in Brewster and died there in 1888. 

WILLIAM H. CLARK. 

He was born in Brewster, July 12, 1839. His first command 
was the ship " Brewster." Later he had the barque " Olive " 
and the ship " Electra." He died on board the latter on her 
passage from Manila to New York, three days before her 
arrival. He was buried in Brewster. 

ELIJAH COBB. 

He was born in Harwich, now Brewster, July 4, 1768. He 
was in command of the ship "Monsoon" in 1801, "Paragon" 
in 1815, "Ten Brothers" in 1820. He retired from the sea in 
1820 and remained in Brewster, holding various civil offices. 
He was a strong supporter of the Universalist church. 

Through the kindness of Miss Mary L. Cobb, we are 
permitted to publish " Extracts from his Journal," as follows : 

By my first voyage to sea, I gained $20 and a suit of 
clothing, placing in my mother's hands this sum — the largest 
she had received since she became a widow. I spent the summer 
in the coasting business, and in the fall shipped as a common 
sailor. After about a year was promoted to the office of mate 
and served in that capacity for six or seven years ; but, seeing 
no disposition on their part to employ me in any other way, 
left them, and after going two voyages to Europe as first mate 
of a ship, got the command of a brig under Edwin and William 
Reynolds. After making several voyages, I went to the Cape 
and was married. I was then 25 years old. I continued in 
the employ of the Reynoklses about two years longer, when 




CAPTAIN ISAAC CLARKE 



Brewster Ship Masters. 11 

they concluded to send me on a voyage to Europe. Their 
object was Cadiz, but it was recommended that I clear for 
Corunna. I was, however, saved the trouble of enquiry by 
being captured by a French frigate, and here commenced my 
trouble. It was during the time of the French revolution and 
the bloody reign of Robespierre (1794). I minuted down 1000 
persons that I saw beheaded by the infernal guillotine, and 
probably saw as many more that I did not minute down. All 
my papers had been taken from me. My vessel was there, but 
her cargo had been taken out and was daily made into soups, 
bread, etc., for the half-starved populace, and without papers 
I could not substantiate my claim to the ship. They merely 
condescended to send me and some of my crew to board at a 
hotel about six weeks. I wrote to the French charge des 
affaires in Paris and received for answer that he regretted my 
situation and those of my countrymen, but we must exercise 
patience, and " the government will do what is right in time." 
In about six weeks the officers called and brought the 
decision and a linguist to explain it to me. Thus had they 
tried and passed sentence without my even learning or knowing 
I was on trial. The decision, however, was so favorable that 
it gave new feelings to my life. I was waited upon to 6ell 
my cargo when it is presumed there was not a pound of rice 
or of flour in existence. We fixed the prices on the invoice. 
Bills of exchange were payable on Hamburg, 50 days after 
date. I ballasted my vessel, sent her away, and remained to 
take charge of the payment. In about two days I was under 
weigh for Paris with the national courier for government. 
We drove Jehu-like without stopping, except to change horses 
and mail, taking occasionally a mouthful of bread and washing- 
it down with low-priced Burgundy wine. As to sleep, I did 
not get one wink during the whole 684 miles. We had from 
ten to twelve mounted horsemen for guard during the night, 
and, to prove that the precaution was necessary, the second 
morning after leaving Brest, just before the guard had left us, 



12 Brewster /Ship Masters. 

we witnessed a scene that filled us with horror : the remains 
of a courier lying in the road, the master, postillion, and five 
horses lying dead and mangled by it, and the mail mutilated 
and scattered in all directions. However, the next stage was 
only five miles and not considered dangerous, and we proceeded 
on. We reached Paris at four o'clock on a beautiful June 
morning. The carriage stopped before the Hotel de Bosten, 
being just 74 hours from the gates of Brest, during which I had 
not lost myself in sleep, had taken nothing upon my stomach, 
or used water upon either hands or face. I was obliged to 
wait for my papers. With both sets lost, there was little 
comfort in the hope of redress. 

While sitting with writing materials before me, in the act 
of writing for another set of papers, a French gentleman, who 
occupied the next room, passed my door. I asked him in and 
related to him my grievances. He advised me to endeavor to 
obtain an interview with Robespierre, saying that he was 
partial to Americans, and that he had no doubt he Avould give 
me aid. By his advice, therefore, I wrote the following billet : 

"An American citizen, captured by a French frigate on the 
high seas, requests a personal interview and to lay his 
grievances before the citizen Robespierre. 

Very resp'y, 

Elijah Cobb." 

In about an hour I received the following note : 

" I will grant citizen Cobb an interview tomorrow at 10 a. m. 

Robespierre." 

After the interpreter left the hall, he conversed with me in 
very good English. Finally he told me to call at an office in 
Rue St. Honore, called the office of the 23d dept., and demand 
my papers. I told him I had done so repeatedly and had been 
forbidden to come again. " Go," said he, " to that office and tell 
citizen F. T. that you came from Robespierre, and if he does 



Brewster Ship Masters. 13 

produce your papers and finish your business immediately, he 
will hear from me again in a way not so pleasing to him." I 
rendered my grateful thanks to him and left him. 

I went direct to the said office, and by the privilege of using 
Robespierre's name direct was kindly received and my business 
completed next day. I arrived in Hamburg the day before 
my bills became due. 

The fortunate result of this voyage increased my fame as a 
ship master, but allowed me only a few days at home. After 
another voyage I received charge of a new ship, the 
" Monsoon." They put on board a valuable cargo and wanted 
me to find a market for it in Europe; but as I had some 
American rum, they advised Ireland for that. Finding no 
prospect to obtain permission to land the rum in Ireland, I 
concluded to try elsewhere. Matters were arranged, however, 
so that between the cove of Cork and the Scilley islands eight 
hogsheads of New England rum were thrown overboard and a 
small pilot boat hove on board a small bag containing 64 
English guineas. Although I saw them haul on board the 
eight hogsheads I was satisfied. I found in Hamburg a good 
market for my cargo, and my employers were so well pleased 
that they could hardly allow me to visit the Cape. I had 
stayed in Hamburg all winter ; heard there of the illness of 
my wife, the death of my brother, and had a severe illness 
which took away my hair. 

I reached home in August. One more voyage in the 
"Monsoon," and then she was sold. I had not been many 
weeks at home before the owners sent for me to come to 
Boston and look at a new brig, the "Sally and Mary," and 
another Hamburg voyage was planned. When I reached 
Hamburg it was blockaded, and I was sent to Yarmouth, Eng., 
where I was pronounced free to go to any port not blockaded. 
I concluded that Copenhagen would be the best market and 
steered my course for that port. On my arrival I proceeded 
to Lubeck, and from there my cargo could be readily sent on, 



14 Brewster Ship Masters. 

in defiance of the blockade, to Hamburg and a return cargo 
given me. This done, I went to the Cape for another visit. 
While there a messenger came for me to go to Malaga. I 
arrived there, January, 1808. 

On my arrival I was informed that the British Orders in 
Council went into force on that day, forbidding vessels taking 
a return cargo. Of course this would make such a cargo very 
desirable. The American consul thought there would be but 
little risk if I hurried, and in eight days I was ready to sail. 
In order to escape investigation, I waited for a strong east 
wind, and left Malaga, thinking to reach the Rock of Gibraltar 
that evening, which I did ; but, unfortunately, as I approached 
the wind died out. I had to make tack under the Spanish 
shore, and while standing over for the Rock, was boarded by 
the boat of the frigate under pretence that I was bound for 
Algeciras. I told them the truth : that I was from Malaga 
bound for Boston ; that I had come there to avail myself of a 
clearance from a British port and a convoy through the gut. 
But after I had seen the principal, placing on the counter 
before his eyes a two-ounce piece of gold, I was permitted to 
go with my clearance to the American consul's. A signal gun 
was fired that morning and I was the first to move, being appre- 
hensive that some incident might yet subject me to that fatal 
investigation. How it was managed to clear out a cargo of 
Spanish goods from Gibraltar, under the British Orders from 
Council, was a subject of most intense speculation in Boston, 
but I had made a good voyage for all concerned. 

I remained home but a short time, when I was asked to go 
to New York to take charge of a ship belonging to them — 
the "William Tell" — for a voyage to Europe. I accordingly 
went to Alexandria in Virginia, loaded the ship with flour and 
sailed for Cadiz in Spain, where I sold my cargo, ballasted my 
ship with stones, and returned to Norfolk. Here I found 
letters and orders to go up to Alexandria and load for another 
voyage. During an unavoidable detention of a few days, a 




CAPTAIN ELIJAH COBB 



Brewster Ship Masters. 15 

violent storm came on, and while I was securing my vessel to 
the wharf, Mr. Fisk, the merchant with whom I advised, came 
down and told me he had just received a dispatch from Mr. 
Randolph in Congress, saying to him : " What you do must be 
done quickly, for the embargo will be upon you at 10 a. m. on 
Sunday." It was now Friday p. m. We had about 100 tons 
of ballast on board, which must be removed, and upwards of 
3000 barrels of flour to take in and stow away, provisions, 
wood and water to take on board, a crew to ship, and to get to 
sea before the embargo took possession. I found that we 
could get one supply of flour from a block of stores directly 
alongside the ship, and by paying three-eighths of a dollar 
extra, we had liberty if stopped by the embargo to return it. 
Saturday morning was fine weather. About sunrise I went to 
the "lazy corner," so called, and pressed into service every 
negro that came upon the stand and sent them on board the 
ship, until I thought there were as many as could work. I 
then visited the sailors' boarding houses, where I shipped my 
crew, paid the advance to their landlords, and their obligations 
to see each sailor on board at sunrise next morning. It had 
now got to be about twelve o'clock, and the ship must be 
cleared at the custom house before one. I accordingly 
prepared a manifest and went to the custom house to clear the 
ship. Mr. Taylor, the collector, knowing my situation, said, 
« Why, Cobb, what is the use of clearing the ship? You cannot 
get away. The embargo will be here at 10 o'clock tomorrow 
morning ; and, even if you get your ship below, I shall have 
boats out that will stop you before you get three leagues to 
sea." Said I, " Mr. Taylor, will you be so kind as to clear my 
ship?" "Oh, yes," said he, and accordingly the ship was 
cleared and I returned on board and found everything going 
on well. Finally, to shorten the story, at nine, that evening, 
we had about 3,050 barrels of flour, one long boat on board in 
the chocks, water, wood and provisions on board and stowed, 
a pilot engaged, and all in readiness for the sea. 



16 Breicster Ship Masters. 

The tide would serve at eight o'clock Sunday morning, and 
we could not go before 10 o'clock, and at that time the embargo 
was expected. Well, the morning arrived, and the sailors 
were brought on board by their landlords, the pilot came, and 
at eight o'clock we started with a fair wind down a crooked, 
narrow river. The fair wind dying out, our progress was 
slow. When we entered Hampton Roads, it had got to be 
after eleven o'clock and nearly calm. Feeling anxious I kept 
a sharp lookout astern, and with a spy-glass at about 12 I saw 
a boat coming down under the full operation of sails and oars. 
" Well," said I to the mate, " I fear we are gone." But very 
soon, to appearance, a fresh breeze sprung from the north 
shore and I saw that the boat had already taken it. I then 
ordered all the light sails set ready to receive the breeze. 
When it reached us the boat was so near that with my glass I 
traced the features of the men ; but ten minutes later the boat 
gave up the chase and returned, and I went to sea without 
further molestation. I then proceeded to Cadiz, and carried 
there the first news of the embargo. The day before I sailed, 
I dined with a large party at the American consul's, and, it 
being mentioned that I was to sail next day, I was congratu- 
lated by a British officer on the safety of our flag. Well, I 
thought the same, when at the time war between England and 
America was raging. 

I sailed from Cadiz on the 25th day of July, 1812, bound 
for Boston, and I never felt safer on account of enemies on the 
high seas. I had just entered upon the eastern edge of the 
Grand bank. In casting my eye to windward, I saw a sail to 
all appearance bearing down directly for us. At sunrise I 
ordered the ensign hoisted at the mizzen peak. No sooner 
were our colors up than his went up in the smoke of a gun. 
I saw that she was a schooner under the English colors, and 
that she was armed. But it did not alarm me, so I continued 
to lay by. She said to me very mildly, " I will thank you to 
continue to lay by and I will send my boat on board." Seeing 




CAPTAIN ELK ANA H BANGS 



Brewster Ship Masters. 17 

she was a cutter schooner with ten brass guns, I, of course, 
acquiesced, and her boat came on board with two petty officers 
and two men. While I was in my stateroom, one of them 
says to me, " Captain, what cargo did you carry to Cadiz ? " 
" Flour." " You got a good price, I presume ? " " Yes," said I. 
" Got cash on board, I suppose ? " " No," said I, " I remitted 
my money to England." " Well, said he, "you've a fine ship 
here." "Yes, tolerable." "What," said he, "do you think 
she is worth ? " This question roused my curiosity. I stepped 
to the door of the stateroom and, looking the man in the face, 
said to him, "Have you any idea of buying or taking the 
ship?" "Oh," said he, "Captain, you will excuse our 
inquisitiveness ; it was without meaning." When I was 
ready, one of the officers went into the boat with me, the other 
remaining on board the ship. I was conducted to the cabin 
to the captain. He showed me an American paper twelve 
days old, which was the declaration of war. He then 
asked me what I carried to Cadiz. I said, " flour." " Did it 
sell ? " " Yes ; it brought 120 a barrel." " Oh, you've cash on 
board," said he. " No," said I, " I remitted the proceeds of my 
cargo to London, and I have my thirds of exchange to satisfy 
you." "Well," said he, "you have a fine ship here. What 
will you give for her, and we give you a clear passport into 
Boston?" After a little reflection I named $4,000. "Well," 
said he, " give us the money." " Oh, I thank you," said I, " if 
it were on board, you would take it without asking. I will 
give you a draft on London." "No," said he, "cash, or we 
burn the ship." " Well," said I, " you'll not burn me in her, I 
hope." " Oh, no ; you may give orders for your men to pick 
up their duds, and we will carry them on board the frigate. 
You may remain on board and select yourself a servant from 
the crew. The ship is too good to burn." I accordingly selected 
my nephew, E. G. Crosby, to remain with me. 

It was six days before we arrived at St. Johns. The next 
morning I was conducted to the port admiral, Sir John Thomas 



18 Brewster Ship Masters, 

Duckworth. After he had made inquiries relative to my 
voyage, he told me I had the liberty of the town, provided I 
chose to keep my residence on shore, or I had the liberty of 
remaining on board the ship, but could not have access to the 
ship and shore both. I finally told him that I would like to 
remain on board the ship until my officers and men were sent 
in, after which I would like to come on shore. In four days 
my officers and crew were sent in. The next day I took up 
my residence in Prisoners' Hall, so called, where there were 
about twenty masters and supercargoes, prisoners like myself. 
I found there were about twenty-seven American vessels in 
port as prizes. 

Six days after this, we were greeted at a very early hour in 
the morning with the sound of an American cartel flag flying 
in the harbor. We were soon in the town and learned that a 
ship had arrived during the previous night under the command 
of an American officer, with a cartel flag, but the officer had 
then gone to report himself to the port admiral. We forthwith 
repaired to a noted coffee-house, where the American officer 
soon arrived. Although we were all strangers, he cordially 
took us by the hand as Americans, and told us he was second 

lieutenant of the frigate C n, Capt. Porter, and through the 

importunities of the British captain, she had been sent in by 
Captain Porter with her officers and crew all aboard to be 
exchanged for the same number of Americans. " But," said 
the officer, "I have cause to fear that I may be a prisoner with 
you; for," said he, "I left the admiral in a violent rage at 
Captain Porter's proceedings of making a cartel on the high 
seas." The officer told him he had no terms to make, but 
orders from Captain Porter there to lie for 24 hours, and if the 
terms were not complied with, to proceed on to America with 
the prize and her crew, "and be your prisoner," said he, "as I 
am in your power." However, in a few minutes a note was 
received from the old admiral, saying that on a perusal of 
Captain Porter's dispatches, he found that the honor of the 



Brewster Ship Masters. 19 

British officers was pledged for the fulfilling of the contract, 
and as he knew his government always redeemed the pledges 
of its officers, he would receive the officers and crew of the 
Alert, and would give in exchange every American prisoner in 
port (and there were two to one), and we must be off in 24 
hours. Now commenced a scene of confusion and bustle. 
The crew of the cartel were soon landed, and the Americans 
as speedily took possession. 

The next morning we weighed the anchor of the Alert, left 
the harbor of St. Johns and bade sail for New York with 246 
Americans on board. Two days after we arrived in New York 
and dispersed for our several homes. * * * Well, at 12 
o'clock, as before stated, I arrived at my home ; knocked at the 
window. It appears my wife had been re-perusing my lengthy 
letter and revolving in her mind all the horrors of my situation 
in an English prison, after she had been in bed, and had not 
been asleep when I knocked at the window. " Who is there ? " 
said she. "It is I," said I. "Well, what do you want?" 
" To come in." " For what ? " said she. Before I could answer 
I heard my daughter, who was in bed with her, say, " Why, 
ma, it's pa ! " It was enough. The doors flew open, and the 
greetings of affection and consanguinity multiplied upon me 
rapidly. Thus in a moment was I transported to the greatest 
earthly bliss man can enjoy, viz.: to the enjoyment of the 
happy family circle. 

The foregoing was written by General Elijah Cobb during 
the year 1848 with the intention of completing it, but the state 
of his health prevented. He remained at home from 1812 to 
1815 or 1816, when he made several voyages to Europe in the 
ship " Paragon," built for him and considered one of the finest 
ships of the day. In 1819 and 1820 he made two voyages to 
Africa in the ship " Ten Brothers," taking with him on his 
first voyage his son Freeman. During the second voyage 
there was much sickness of a contagious character, and the 
ship on her return was sunk at the end of the wharf, to 



20 Brewster Ship Masters. 

prevent contagion in the city of Boston. He left the sea in 
1820 and after that time remained in Brewster, filling the 
various civil offices of town clerk, treasurer, inspector general, 
representative, senator and justice of the peace and quorum ; 
also the military rank of brigadier general. He was a strong 
supporter of the ITniversalist church in town, in which 
doctrine he took much interest. 

WILLIAM B. COBB. 

He was born in Brewster, June 30, 1828. After serving the 
usual grades at sea, he had command of the barque "J. 
Godfrey" and clipper ship "Empress of the Sea," in the 
California trade. He then went in the employ of the Pacific 
Mail Steamship company, where he remained for eighteen 
years, having charge of steamships " City of Sydney," " City 
of Rio de Janeiro," " City of Pekin," and several others, sailing 
between San Francisco, Japan, China and Australia. After 
retiring from the sea, he resided in San Francisco, where he 
died in 1896. 

MICHAEL CONNOLLY. 

He was born in Ireland, in 1838. When three years of age 
he came to this country with his parents and settled in 
Brewster. He worked on a farm until he was fifteen years 
old, then began his sea life. He was master of the ship 
" Charger " for several years in the California trade. Later he 
went in the employ of the Pacific Mail Steamship company, 
having charge at different times of steamships "Montana," 
" China," " Colorado " and " Grenada." He died in San 
Francisco in 1887. 

G FOB GE CB CKER. 

He was born in Brewster, February 25, 1820. He was 



Brewster Ship Masters. 21 

master of ships "William A. Cooper," "Expounder" and 
"Electra." He died while in command of the ship "Electra," 
on the passage from Batavia to Manila in 1883. 

BENJAMIN SNO W CROSB Y. 

He was born in Brewster, February 21, 1810. He commanded 
the ships " Eurotus " and " Oregon." 

George W. Higgins, Esquire, formerly of Brewster, has sent 
the following, which is an account of the trip to California, 
made by the Brewster people in 1849 : 

We sailed from Boston October 30, 1849, in the hermaphro- 
dite brig "Archelaus," of one hundred and twenty tons, loaded 
with lumber. She was a West India trader with high quarter 
deck. There were twelve of the party who owned the vessel 
and cargo, the whole costing about eight thousand dollars. 
The names were Captain Benjamin Snow Crosby, Captain 
Burgess, Joseph Foster, Ben. Crocker, John Crocker, Joseph 
Pratt, Freeman Snow, George W. Higgins, and four others 
from Boston. By vote Captain Benjamin S. Crosby was made 
captain, Captain Burgess, first mate, and Joseph Foster, second 
mate ; the rest were common sailors, but we all lived together 
in the cabin. The cook worked his passage, and we had six 
passengers. We were all square-rig sailors except Ben. 
Crocker, who had been mate on one of our Boston packets ; he 
was made captain of the main boom, as the square-rig sailors 
were afraid of it. 

We had a good passage until off the River La Plata, where 
we struck one of their pamperos, that washed our decks and 
stove our galley to pieces. We were without anything hot to 
eat or drink for three days, until our stove could be repaired. 
From that we met no trouble. We went through the Straits 
of Le Maire and made a good passage around the Horn. We 
were ninety days to Valparaiso, where we stopped for several 
days. From there we encountered light winds, which made 



22 Brewster Ship Masters. 

our progress slow, bringing into San Francisco from Boston 
in one hundred and forty-seven days. There we sold the brig 
as we dropped anchor for about one-half what it cost us, and 
each man took his own course. 

Captain Benjamin Snow Crosby died in New Orleans, 
December 15, 1851, while in command of ship "Oregon." 

CHARLES CROSBY. 

He was born in Brewster, June 13, 1833. He commanded 
barque "Kedar," ships "Forest Queen" and "Joseph Holmes." 
He was accidentally killed by the discharge of a gun while at 
Bassein and was buried there, June 5, 1864. 

CLANRICK CROSBY. 

He was born in Brewster, November 5, 1814. He commanded 
ship "Louisiana," sailing from Boston in 1849 for Oregon, 
going around Cape Horn. One of his relatives writes as 
follows : 

In April, 1850, he went to Oregon for a year, then to Turn 
Water, Puget sound, at that time a wilderness. He bought 
claim of his brother, Nathaniel Crosby, with saw and grist 
mills, also house in rough. There were no houses within two 
miles. Finally he had flour mill and general merchandise 
store. His grist mill was the first north of Portland, Oregon. 
These brothers were more properly pioneers of the West after 
leaving the sea. He died in Portland, Oregon, in 1879. 

EDMUND CROSBY. 

Born in Brewster, August 28, 1819. He commanded ships 
" William Gray " and "Anglo Saxon." He died on board the 
"Anglo Saxon," on her passage from New Orleans to Liverpool 
in 1850. 



Brewster Ship Masters. 23 

ELI SUA CROSBY. 

Born in Brewster, May 11, 1818. George W. Higgins, Esq., 
writes his recollection of Captain Elisha Crosby as follows : 

I do not know much of his early years at sea. In 1843, '44 
and '45, 1 was with him as a boy before the mast in the barque 
" Leouesa," in two voyages around Cape Horn to the coast of 
Central America and California. We made about the same 
sort of voyages as in Dana's " Two Years Before Mast," except 
that our hides were collected ready for us. He was mate of 
the barque on these voyages. 

The next year he was made captain of the schooner "Indiana," 
of about ninety tons. Freeman Mayo, Jr., was his mate, 
sailing along the coast of Central America. His cargo was " a 
little of everything." He traded from there to San Francisco 
and China. My brother, John Higgins, was with him on that 
voyage. He afterwards made voyages to the Mediterranean, 
but soon left the seas, and, being without employment, came 
out to Chicago, and remained the winter of 1876-77. He died 
soon after leaving Chicago. 

FREEMAN CROSBY. 

Born in Brewster, December 4, 1802. He was master of 
the ship "Gem of the Ocean" and others, names unknown. 
He retired from the sea early in life and always lived in 
Brewster. He died October, 1861. 

FREEMAN CROSBY, JR. 

Born in Brewster, June 9, 1831. He commanded ships 
"White Swallow" and "Liverpool Packet. The "Liverpool 
Packet" left Hong Kong for Shanghai in 1863 and was never 
heard from after leaving Hong Kong. It is supposed they 
were lost in a typhoon. 



24 Breicster Ship Masters. 

JAMES CROSBY. 

Born in Brewster, August 23, 1796. He was in the West 
India and South American trade. He died at sea, August 13, 
1834. 

JAMES EDWIN CROSBY. 

He had command of ships "Oscar," "Magnet" and 
" Imperial." He had command of the latter ship for twenty- 
two years in the California and China trade. His last voyage 
was made from Manila to Philadelphia, arriving there during 
the month of December, 1893. He contracted a cold there 
and came to his home in Melrose, where he died the following 
month, January, 1894. His native place was Brewster, where 
he was born February 11, 1888. 

JOSHUA CROSBY. 

Born in Brewster, October 11, 1822. He commanded vessels 
in the West India trade and died on one of his voyages in 
1853. 

NATHANIEL CROSBY. 

Born in Brewster, November 3, 1810. He sailed in ships, 
the names not ascertained, and went to Oregon in 1846, where 
he built the first frame house, which was completed in 1849. 
From 1854 to 1858 he was engaged in taking ship spars from 
Puget sound to China, being the first cargoes ever shipped to 
Hong Kong. He died in Hong Kong in 1859. 

TULLY CROSBY. 

He was born in Brewster, July 22, 1809. He had command 
of brig "Old Colony," barque "Arab," and ships "Kingfisher," 
" Monterey," "Antelope " and " Charlotte." 




CAPTAIN TCLTA' CROSBY 



Brewster Ship Masters. 25 

His son has furnished the following sketch : 

He was the youngest of ten children. After receiving a 
limited education in the district schools of his town, he left 
home, at the age of thirteen, in the old packet sloop " Fame," 
for Boston, where he joined his eldest brother, Joshua, who 
was master of the brig " Telemachus," on a voyage to Surinam 
as cabin boy. He remained with his brother for several 
voyages, and at the age of twenty-three received his first 
command, the brig " Old Colony," built at Plymouth. He 
followed the sea for twenty-five years and successfully 
commanded some of the finest clipper ships of those days. 

At the age of forty-five, Captain Crosby retired from the 
sea and settled on his farm in Brewster. In 1856, he was 
elected representative to the general court, and was a member 
of the extra session in 1857 to establish districts for the choice 
of councillors, senators and representatives; also again in 
1865, and was present during the exciting times, consequent 
upon the surrender of Lee and the assassination of President 
Lincoln. Always public-spirited, he gave to the service of the 
town and state an honest, true-hearted loyalty. 

Captain Crosby died at his home in Brewster, December 14, 
1891. 

TULLY CROSBY, JR. 

Born in South Boston, August 21, 1841, and early moved to 
Brewster. He commanded the " George Darby." He gave up 
going to sea and settled in Brewster, where he is interested 
in the town affairs, having been selectman, town clerk and 
treasurer. He is now living in Brewster (1905). 

WILLIAM CROSBY. 

Born in Brewster, August 12, 1811. He commanded ships 
in the South American trade, names of which we have been 
unable to ascertain. He was lost, while in command of a 



26 Brewster Ship Masters. 

ship, on Minots ledge, at the entrance to Boston harbor, in the 
severe gale of April, 1851. 

ZEN A 8 CROSBY. 

Born in Brewster, February 3, 1817. Among other ships 
that he commanded was the " Kingfisher." A relative writes 
as follows ; 

Once while crossing the Atlantic in the " Kingfisher," in a 
severe northwest gale, as he and his mate were taking the 
sun, they were struck by a heavy sea, which carried them both 
overboard. The mate sank from sight at once, but Captain 
Crosby, when being carried over the side, grasped a rope and 
took a double turn around his arm as he was going into the 
sea. The man at the wheel saw what had happened and rang 
the bell ; the watch rushed aft, caught the other end of the 
rope and hauled him on board. He was severely wrenched, so 
that he was unable to stand on deck, and he was lashed to 
deck-house that he might direct the sailing of the ship all that 
afternoon. This occurred on the voyage from 1851 to 1853. 
He died at La Paz, Lower California, while in command of 
ship " Kingfisher." 

JAMES S. DILLINGHAM. 

He was born in South Harwich, December 24, 1831. He 
commanded ships "Nabob," "Blue Jacket" and "Snow 
Squall," and steamer " Finance," in the Brazil trade. 

Mrs. Dillingham, now of Chelsea, has sent us the following 
account of the chase of the ship by a Confederate privateer : 

In Civil War time one of the lineal descendants of the 
Dillingham family of Brewster, Captain James S. Dillingham, 
Jr., in command of the ship " Snow Squall," had an experience 
most exciting, and it should be known to all who dwell in 
Brewster, as a narrow escape from the hands of those who 
commanded bark " Tuscaloosa." Communications from friends 



Brewster Ship Masters. 27 

at home at that time were long delayed, and for six months 
the captain had no news relating to the privateering business, 
and did not know that a sailing vessel was used for that 
purpose. After loading the "Snow Squall" at Singapore, 
partially, and finishing at Penang, the good ship started from 
Penang for New York. After a very quick and pleasant 
passage to the Cape of Good Hope, one noon a sail was seen by 
the man at the wheel low down on the horizon, looking just a 
speck ; but she was watched, of course, with interest by all on 
board the "Snow Squall." She gradually came towards us, 
and Captain Dillingham, thinking she needed assistance in 
some way, hoisted the flag of his country on the ship. At 
once the stars and stripes were flying on the stranger. After 
awhile Captain Dillingham and his mate, Mr. Sears, were 
noticed talking very seriously together, and had discovered 
that the newcomer had portholes in her side. Coming to 
windward of us, she took the wind from our sails, and she was 
so near to us that the two captains did not have to use their 
trumpets in order to be heard. The captain of the privateer 
said, "What ship is that?" to Captain Dillingham. "The 
ship « Snow Squall,' " he replied, " from Penang to New York." 
And "What ship is that?" said Captain D. to the other 
captain. " You heave to and I'll send some one aboard to tell 
you," he said ; and in an instant open flew the portholes, and 
the after gun was fired at us, the stars and stripes were hauled 
down and the Confederate flag hoisted in its place. 

I presume visions of their good luck filled the minds of 
those officers on board the "Tuscaloosa," but they were 
to be disappointed. "Aye, aye," said Captain Dillingham, as if 
he were going to comply with the request, and as there was 
some commotion on the " Snow Squall," they probably thought 
it all meant that soon they would be on board. In the mean- 
time, the " Snow Squall " had moved a little ahead and got a 
portion of the breeze in her sails. When the " Tuscaloosa " 
people saw that, they fired another gun, but as the sea was a 



28 Brewster Ship Masters. 

rolling one, the guns did no damage and were doubtless fired 
to intimidate. 

Captain Dillingham was not so easily frightened, and knew 
his ship could beat almost anything in sailing close to the 
wind; the chase began and lasted till nearly night time. At 
four o'clock the " Tuscaloosa " fired a broadside at us, to say 
they gave up the chase ; but Captain Dillingham remained on 
deck all night to watch the steering of the ship and to look 
for the approach of another privateer, should another come 
that way, and he used to say he was not looking for any other 
vessels all the way to New York. A plucky man and a sharp 
fine sailing vessel saved the " Snow Squall " and its valuable 
cargo, and it was appreciated by the underwriters, who very 
substantially remembered him when he arrived in New York. 

Captain Dillingham died while in command of steamer 
"Finance," on entering New York harbor, November 14, 1883. 

JOHN DILLINGHAM. 

He was born in Brewster, February 15, 1824. He com- 
manded barks "Lenox" and "Warren White," ship "Kit 
Carson" and steamer "City of Topeka." He served in the 
navy during the Civil War. In 1870 he removed to Titusville, 
Pa., in a manufacturing business. Later he settled in San 
Diego, California, where he died in 1895. 

ALBERT DUNBAR. 

Born in Dartmouth, Massachusetts, July 17, 1811. He 
removed to Brewster, about 1840. He commanded barks 
"Altof Oak" and "Magnolia" and ships " Brewster," " North 
America" and others. He retired from the sea in 1854, and 
was of the firm of Dunbar & Colby, brokers and shipowners, 
in New York. He removed to Brooklyn, N. Y., about 1858, 
where he died January 1, 1864. 

A LBER T II. D UNBAR. 

He was born in Yarmouth, July 21, 1837, and came to 



Brewster Ship Masters. 29 

Brewster with his parents in 1840. He commanded ships 
"Josiah Bradlee," "Alhambra," "Gardner Colby," "Thacher 
Magoun," " Kentuckian " and " Grecian." While in command 
of the " Grecian," she was wrecked in the China sea on her 
passage from Manila to Boston in 1889. After retiring from 
the sea he settled in San Diego, California, where he died 
February 15, 1892. 

BENJAMIN FESSENDEN. 

Born in Brewster, August 11, 1810. He had command of 
several ships, among them being the ship "Brewster." He 
died in Brewster, July, 1874. 

ISAAC FESSENDEN. 

He was born in Brewster, August 24, 1834. He had charge 
among other ships of the "Mountain Wave." He died in 
Brewster in August, 1884. 

JOHN EITZ. 

He was born in Brewster in 1856. He was the son of John 
and Margaret Fitz of Scotland. He was mate of ship " St. John 
Smith" for several voyages. Later as captain of the same 
ship he sailed from Liverpool for San Francisco with a cargo 
of coal and was never heard from. The ship was supposed to 
have foundered. This was in 1882. 

BAIZE Y FOSTER. 

Born in Brewster, September 9, 1809. The names of the 
ships that he commanded cannot be ascertained other than the 
ship " Santa Claus," of which he was master for several years. 
He died in Brewster, June, 1892. 



30 Brewster Ship Masters. 

BARNA COBB FOSTER. 

He was born in Brewster, February 28, 1825. He com- 
manded the ship " Faneuil Hall," and died in Brewster in 1850. 

BENJAMIN FOSTER. 

He was born in Brewster, September 27, 1772. He was a 
sea captain and filled important town ofiices, being treasurer 
in 1818 and town clerk, both of which he held for six years. 
He died March 10, 1848. 

ELISHA FOSTER. 

He was born in Brewster, October 1, 1794. He commanded 
several ships, the names of which cannot be ascertained. He 
always lived in Brewster, where he died September 12, 1873. 

ELISHA FOSTER, JR. 

He was born in Brewster, December 4, 1825. He commanded 
a ship that was lost on Nantucket shoals, the name of which 
is not known. He died in Brewster, December 29, 1852. 

FRANK B. FOSTER. 

He was born in Brewster, September, 1842. He commanded 
barque "Celeste Clark" and ships "Kentuckian" and 
" Nonantum." He died on the passage from San Francisco to 
Liverpool, in command of ship " Nonantum," and was buried 
at sea. 

FREEMAN FOSTER. 

He was born in Harwich, now Brewster, May 1, 1782. He 
commanded the brig "Rice Plant," ships "Ten Brothers," 
" Choctaw " and others. 




CAPTAIN FREEMAN FOSTER 



Brewster Ship Masters. 31 

The grandchildren of Captain Foster have furnished the 
following sketch of his career : 

Tradition says that he was an unusually large, sturdy boy, 
and began seafaring at the age of ten, sailing on fishing trips 
with his father, David Foster, who had been a whaler. At 
the age of fourteen he shipped in the merchant service and 
soon worked his way to the quarter-deck. His opportunities 
for education were limited, the years of his boyhood being 
employed on the farm when not engaged in fishing ; neverthe- 
less, he acquired what was considered in those days a good 
business training, as some of his account books still in 
existence show. So far as known, he commanded the ship 
"Ten Brothers." He made several voyages in the brig "Rice 
Plant" before 1831, and superintended the building of the 
" Choctaw " and sailed in her in 1832. She was built in Bristol, 
Maine, and was Captain Foster's last ship. The "Ten 
Brothers " was about 250 tons. This ship has a special history, 
which is given elsewhere. 

An old charter party of the brig " Rice Plant " says she was 
" one hundred and twenty -three tons burthen or thereabouts, 
to go to Matanzas in Cuba, to St. Petersburg in Russia and 
back to Boston. 21 day February, one thousand eight 
hundred and thirty-one." 

His voyages were confined to the North Atlantic, he never 
having crossed the line. His work was between Boston and 
the West Indies, New Orleans and the Russian ports of 
Archangel and Cronstadt, and to Elsinore. 

About the age of fifty -five he retired to his farm in Brewster, 
where he resided until his death. 

During the war of 1812, he served as captain of the militia, 
and "April 11, 1815, Gen. Cobb of the third brigade appointed 
Freeman Foster brigade quartermaster." 

About the time that peace was declared, the Brewster 
Militia company, Freeman Foster, captain, marched to Well- 
fleet on military duty. On the march home, when Captain 



32 Brewster Ship Masters. 

Foster's house was reached, the company halted and placing 
the flag opposite the house saluted it by firing their muskets. 
One shot accidentally struck the flag, and they continued 
firing salutes until the colors were in tatters. On his return 
from his next voyage Captain Foster presented a new flag and 
staff to the town. 

He was twice chosen representative to the general court. 

He was an early convert to Universalism, and was one of 
the founders of that church in Brewster. 

Captain Foster was of commanding presence, standing over 
six feet and stout in proportion. He had a family of ten 
children and left behind him a reputation for strict integrity 
and sterling manhood. He died February 25, 1870. 

HEMAN FOSTER. 

He was born in Brewster, January 11, 1799. He commanded 
the brig "Stephen" for several years in the Mediterranean 
trade and died in Havana in 1833. 

ISAAC FOSTER. 

Born in Brewster, October 23, 1770. He commanded sloop 
"Stork," brig "Byfield," and ship "George Porter." His 
grandson, George T. Foster, writes as follows : 

I understand that the "George Porter" was the first 
American ship to enter the port of Archangel, Russia. He 
was taken by a French letter of marque in the English 
channel, while in the brig " Byfield." He died in Brewster, 
January 4, 1855. He was a man of prominence and was sent 
representative to the general court. 

JONA THAN FOSTER. 

He was born in Brewster, May 22, 1790. He commanded 
ship " Konohassett " and others, whose names are not known 
to the writer. He died in Brewster, January, 1862. 



Brewster Ship Masters. 33 

JOSEPH FOSTER. 

He was born in Brewster, June 17, 1824. He commanded 
schooner "Melita" and bark "Tally Ho" in the Central 
American and Mediterranean trade. He was one of the 
Brewster people who went to California in 1849, in the vessel 
with Captain Benjamin Snow Crosby. He died in Brewster, 
May 19, 1881. 

NATHAN F. FOSTER. 

He was born in Brewster, December 4, 1833. He commanded 
ships « Expounder," " Morning Star," " W. B. Dinsmore " and 
" Centaur." 

While in command of the "W. B. Dinsmore," on the 
passage from Liverpool to Bombay, the ship took fire by 
spontaneous combustion of the cargo of coal, the crew being 
rescued by an English ship. Later, while in command of ship 
" Centaur," on the passage from Liverpool to San Francisco, 
the ship took fire in the same way, and was abandoned by the 
crew. They left the ship in three boats. Two succeeded in 
reaching the island of Tahiti ; the third boat, in which was 
the captain, was never heard from. It was supposed she was 
lost during a storm the night after leaving the ship, August, 
1874. 

WILLIAM LOW FOSTER. 

He was born in Brewster, September 30, 1822. He com- 
manded barques "Tom" and "Maria," and ships "Morning 
Star," "Malabar," "Pride of the Port," "Belle of the Sea" and 
"Celeste Clark." He died in Brewster, January 2, 1876. 

CHARLES H. FREE3TAN. 

Born in Brewster, June 29, 1853. He commanded ships 



34 Brewster Ship Masters. 

" Mystic Belle " and "James A. Wright." He was wrecked in 
Bhip "Calcutta" at the Cape of Good Hope in August, 1882, 
when thirteen men of the crew were lost and the ship was a 
total loss. He is at present (1905) master of the steamer 
" El Monte," sailing between New York and New Orleans. 

CHARLES FREEMAN. 

He was born in Brewster, June 15, 1822. He commanded 
whaling ships, making long voyages in the Pacific and Arctic 
oceans. His ships hailed from Stonington, Connecticut. The 
last ship was the "Betsey Williams." The names of the 
others are not ascertained. He died in Brewster, 1890. 

BENJAMIN FREEMAN. 

He was born in Brewster, December, 1808. He commanded 
ships " Ellen Brooks," " Coromandel," " Scargo," " Climax " and 
several others. He retired from the sea in 1855. He always 
lived in Brewster, where he died, August, 1884. 

GEORGE FREEMAN. 

He was born in Brewster, April 20, 1826. He had charge 
of ships " Catherine," " Chattanooga," " Mary Whittridge " and 
"Anahuac." In early life he began going to sea as a fisherman, 
but gave that up, and learned a carpenter's trade. Later he 
went to Oregon, where he spent some time, then returned to 
Boston. Then began his seafaring life in earnest. In 1884 
he sailed from New York in the "Anahuac " for Australia and 
thence for Sourbaya, Jave, where he died, November 14, 1884. 

HORACE FREEMAN. 

He was born in Brewster, August, 1838. The first and only 
ship he had charge of was the " Memnon," and he died while 
in command of her in Batavia, May, 1865. 



CAPTAIN SOLOMON FREEMAN 



Brewster Ship Masters. 35 

JOHN FREEMAN. 

He was born in Brewster, March 25, 1800. He commanded 
the bark "Arab" and ship "George Thacher." He retired 
early in life and settled in Brewster, where he died, July 2, 
1864. 

JOHN FREEMAN, JR. 

He was born in Brewster, August, 1835. He had charge of 
ships " Sybil," " Kentuckian," barques " National Eagle," "Guy 
C, Goss" and "Pilgrim." Upon retiring from the sea, he 
engaged in the ship chandlery business in Boston. Later he 
removed to his farm in Brewster, where he died June 17, 1900. 

JOSHUA FREEMAN. 

He was born in Brewster, December 12, 1806. He com- 
manded ships "Alexander " and « Gertrude " and others whose 
names cannot be ascertained. He died in New York in 1839. 

JOSHUA FREEMAN, JR. 

Born in Brewster, July 10, 1835. He commanded ships 
" Christopher Hall," " W. B. Dinsmore," " Gold Hunter " and 
"Glory of the Seas." He was master of the " Gold Hunter " 
for seventeen years in East India and California trade, and 
was for eighteen years in charge of the " Glory of the Seas." 
He is now (1905) in business in Victoria, British Columbia. 

SOLOMON FREEMAN. 

Born in Brewster in February, 1800. He had charge of the 
brig "Margaret" and ship "Malabar" and others, whose 
names cannot be ascertained. He retired from the sea early. 
He was representative to the general court for several terms, 



36 Brewster Ship Masters. 

and was prominent and interested in all town affairs. He 
died in Brewster in April, 1887. 

SOLOMON FREEMAN, JR. 

He was born in Brewster, April 9, 1833. He was in 
command of ship " Franklin," and died on board in London, 
February, 1862. 

WILLIAM FREEMAN. 

He was born in Beverly, January, 1820. He had command 
of ships "Maine," "Undaunted," "Kingfisher," "Monsoon," 
"Mogul," "Ocean King" and "Jabez Howes," the steamers 
" Zenobia," " Palmyra " and " Edward Everett." 

Captain Freeman writes as follows : 

In November, 1853, on the passage from Liverpool to Bath, 
the " Maine " was lost on a bar at the mouth of the Kennebec 
river. 

In 1859, soon after leaving Boston on the ship " Undaunted," 
a part of the crew mutinied, and I was severely wounded ; but 
after a consultation with the officers I decided to go on and 
finish the voyage to St. John, N. S., where the mutineers were 
turned over to the U. S. consul and by him sent back to 
Boston. 

On the passage of the ship " Mogul " from Liverpool to San 
Francisco the cargo of coal took fire by spontaneous combustion 
on July 26. We remained by the ship until August the 7th, 
when we were compelled to leave. Having prepared three 
boats, we divided the crew of twenty-seven men as equally as 
possible, and at seven o'clock on the evening of August 7, in 
latitude 17.53 south, longitude 100 deg. 25 min. west, we left 
the ship with instructions to try to reach the Marquesas 
islands, 2100 miles distant. This, all were fortunate enough 
to do, after eleven and twelve days. Remained on the island 
five days, when we were taken in a small sloop to the island 




CAPTAIN WILLIAM FREEMAN 



Brewster Ship Masters. 37 

of Nukahioa, where we found the French governor and placed 
ourselves in his care. After about two weeks we were taken 
in a schooner to Tahiti, and from there were sent by the U. S. 
consul to San Francisco, where we arrived four months after 
leaving the ship. 

He is at present living in Brewster. 

JOSEPH HIGGINS. 

Date and place of birth unknown, but he lived for many 
years in Brewster. He had command of the ship "St. 
Charles," which was wrecked on Baker's island, in the South 
Pacific ocean, while loading guano, 1870. Place of death 
unknown. 

WILLARD HIGGINS. 

He was born in Brewster in 1826. He had charge of ship 
"Colchis," «T. H. Perkins," "Augusta Norwood," " Sarah H. 
Snow" and "Chattanooga." He died in Queenstown in 1866, 
while in command of the " Chattanooga." 

CHARLES HOPKINS. 

Born in Brewster, February 25, 1835. He commanded ships 
"Kingfisher," "Mountain Wave" and "Santa Claus" and 
brig " Lorana." He died while in command of brig " Lorana " 
in Havana and was buried there, October 24, 1866. 

REUBEN HOPKINS. 

He was born in Brewster, February 26, 1801. He had 
command of the barque "Binney," ships " Oxenbridge," 
« Berkshire " and " Cape Cod." He retired from the sea early* 
and removed to Arlington, where he died January 22, 1877. 



38 Brewster Ship Masters. 

GODFREY HOPKINS. 

Born in Brewster, January 4, 1804. He was master of the 
brig " Senator " and several others whose names have not been 
ascertained. He died in Brewster. 

GODFREY HOPKINS, JR. 

He was born in Brewster, January 15, 1832. He commanded 
bark "Carib," ships "Australia," "Joseph Holmes" and 
" William Brown." While in charge of the ship "Australia," 
she was lost near the port of Akyab. He then took charge of 
the ship " Joseph Holmes," lying in the port of Bassein, taking 
the place of Captain Charles Crosby, who had lately died 
there. Later, while master of the " William Brown," she was 
lost in a hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico, bound to Galveston. 
He retired from the sea about 1870, and was interested in town 
affairs up to the time of his death, February, 1902. 

FRANKLIN HOPKINS. 

He was born in Brewster, August 12, 1802. While a 
young man he commanded vessels in the coasting trade 
and also in the West India trade. Later he conducted a 
lumber business in Charlestown, where he settled, and died in 
Charlestown in 1868. 

R ODER T IR VINE. 

He was born at the Shetland Islands, about 1835, and came 
to this country while a boy, making Brewster his home. He 
commanded the bark " Cochituate " and ships " Sunrise " and 
"Expounder." On retiring from sea, he entered into the 
lightering business in Galveston, Texas, and died there in 1895. 

ALBERT F. KNOWLES. 

He was born in Brewster, December 8, 1839. He com- 




CAPTAIN REUBEN HOPKINS 



Brewster Ship Masters. 39 

manded ships "Richard Busteed," "Western Star" and 
"Southern Eagle." While in command of ship "Southern 
Eagle," on the passage from Rangoon to Liverpool, was 
supposed to have been lost in a typhoon about May 1, 1870. 

ALLEN H. IvNO WLES. 

He was born in Eastham, June 12, 1814. He removed to 
Brewster about 1843. He commanded ships "Coquimbo," 
"Albatross," "R. C. Winthrop," "Western Star," "Chariot of 
Fame," "Agenor" and "Conqueror." He removed to Yar- 
mouth, where he died, July 5, 1875. 

ELIJAH E. IvNO WLES. 

He was born in Orleans, September 5, 1829. His family 
removed to Brewster when he was very young. He com- 
manded bark " Lillie," ships " White Swallow," " Nonantum " 
and " Landseer." After retiring from the sea in 1882, he took 
an interest in town affairs. He was a director in the Cape Cod 
National Bank, trustee of the cemetery, and prominent in 
affairs of the church. 

HENR Y KNO WLES. 

He was born in Brewster, July 20, 1834. He commanded 
ships "Albatross," " Western Star " and " Belle Creble." After 
retiring from the sea, he removed to Rockford, Illinois, where 
he died, July 27, 1893. 

JOSIAII N. KJS r O WLES. 

He was born in Eastham, May 2G, 1830. He was master of 
ships " Wild Wave," " Kentuckian," " Charger " and " Glory of 
the Seas." 



40 Brewster Ship Masters. 

The following account of the loss of the ship " Wild "Wave " 
is taken from Capt. Knowles's diary : 

On February 9, while in command of the fine clipper ship 
"Wild Wave," of 1500 tons, with a crew of thirty, all told, 
and ten passengers, on the passage from San Francisco to 
Valparaiso, the ship was wrecked. 

On March 5, at 1 a. m., the ship was going at the rate of 
thirteen knots an hour, when the lookout reported " breakers 
under the lee." So near were we to the reef and so great our 
speed, we could not avoid running upon it, and in less than 
five minutes the ship was on a coral reef, full of water and the 
sea breaking over her. At daybreak we discovered we were 
on Oeno island, which is about half a mile in circumference. 
We landed passengers and crew, with sails for tents, and 
provisions. Water we found by digging on the island. After 
remaining on the island nearly two weeks, I selected my boat 
crew — the mate, Mr. Bartlett, and five of the men — and set 
out in a boat for Pitcairns island about one hundred miles 
away. I had upwards of $18,000 in gold, which I took with us 
in the boat. 

When we reached Pitcairns, we found to our great surprise 
that the former residents had left for Norfolk island, and 
notices to that effect were posted in many of the houses. 
Again we were on an uninhabited island ; but here we found 
plenty of fruit, such as oranges, bananas, bread fruit, cocoanuts, 
etc., also sheep, goats, bullocks and chickens, the latter in 
abundance. A day or two after we landed, our boat was stove 
by the surf and rendered useless. We decided that we must 
build a boat, and collected from among the houses six axes, 
one hammer and a few other tools and began the boat. We 
had to burn some of the houses to get nails and iron. The 
timber we had to cut and hew as best we could. The boat 
was called the "John Adams " and was finished and ready to 
sail on July 23. An ensign was made from the red hangings 
of the church pulpit, white cotton from an old shirt and the 




CAPTAIN J. N. KNOWLES 



Brewster /Ship Masters. 41 

blue of a pair of overalls. The gold all this time had been 
buried under the boat while building. Captain Knowles took 
the gold and with the mate and two men started for Tahiti, 
lying about 1500 miles northwest from Pitcairns. The other 
three men preferred to stay at Pitcairns. The wind being 
unfavorable we headed for Marquesas. 

August 4, we reached the island of Nukahiva, and to our 
great joy found there the IT. S. sloop of war "Vandalia." 
There was a French settlement on the island, but no American 
here ship had been for nearly five years. The next day I 
sold the boat to the missionary and the " Vandalia " sailed for 
Oeno and Pitcairns by way of Tahiti. 

On reaching Tahiti, Captain Knowles was offered passage to 
Honolulu on the French frigate " Eurydice." The " Vandalia " 
sailed for Oeno with the mate, Mr. Bartlett, who had joined 
her as an officer, and rescued the people left at Oeno and 
Pitcairns. After a passage of sixteen days the "Eurydice" 
arrived at Honolulu, and here Captain Knowles found the 
American bark "Yankee" loading for San Francisco, and 
sailed in her, arriving in San Francisco, September 19. Here 
Captain Knowles had news from home, but there was no 
overland telegraph then and only a pony express to take the 
mails. 

October 6, Captain Knowles sailed for New York, via 
Panama, on the steamer "Golden Gate," where he arrived 
October 28, and where he could telegraph to his own people. 
This was the first news they had had of him in all that time. 

Fourteen years afterwards, in the ship " Glory of the Seas," 
Captain Knowles stopped at Pitcairns island. A boat came 
alongside with the governor of the island on board, who was 
much surprised to find this was the Captain Knowles who had 
been wrecked and on that island, and who had left a record of 
his doings while there. He went on shore with them and was 
greeted very cordially by all the people. When he left, they 
followed him to the boats, each having a present, which 



42 J3rewster Ship Masters. 

consisted of oranges, bread fruit, bananas, chickens, ducks and 
even sheep — enough to load a boat. Years afterwards, when 
settled in San Francisco, the governor of the island always 
visited Captain Knowles whenever he came there. 

After leaving the sea, Captain Knowles engaged in business 
in San Francisco, where he died, June 10, 1896.. 

THOMAS KNOWLES. 

He was born in Eastham, April 22, 1823. He removed with 
his family to Brewster about 1843. He died on the passage to 
San Francisco, April 2, 1852, and was buried in San Francisco. 

WINSL OW L. KNO WLES. 

He was born in Eastham, July, 1789. He removed to 
Brewster in 1843. He commanded several ships in the 
Valparaiso and South American trade; among them were ships 
" Chili," " Sophia," « Coquimbo " and "Albatross." He died in 
Brewster, January 26, 1870. 

Mr. George W. Higgins, formerly of Brewster, has sent us 
the following account of his brother, John Higgins, who, 
although not a shipmaster, was a Brewster man and had an 
unusual experience : 

My brother, John Higgins, in 1849, sailed to San Francisco 
with Captain Winslow Knowles. He heard of the great 
wealth of the Australian gold mines and decided to go. He 
worked his passage on the steamer " Monumental City." She 
was wrecked on the coast of Australia, and only half of her 
passengers and crew were saved, John being one. He then 
shipped on a brig as second mate on a trading voyage, and 
was again wrecked. 

We did not hear from him for a year or so, and we mourned 
for him as dead. After a long time, a New Bedford whaler 
from the Wellington islands, which is of the Caroline group, 




CAPTAIN WINSLOW L. KNOWLES 



Brewster Ship Masters. 43 

brought us a letter from him. These islands are in about 6, 
north latitude. After his last wreck he had in some way 
drifted there. It was inhabited by about six hundred harmless 
savages. John went right among them and soon became their 
leader. The old chief learned to love him as if he were his 
son, in fact, John married the chief's daughter. He taught 
them to build houses, to clothe themselves, and the sanctity of 
marriage. He became almost an idol among them, and the 
whole tribe was like his great family. I think this was in 
1856 or '57. Two sons were born to him. 

The missionary brig "Morning Star " visits all these islands, 
and in a little book published by this organization they speak 
of my brother, saying, " John Higgins of Brewster has done 
more towards civilizing these natives than any missionary 
possibly could." 

Let me mention here that this brig " Morning Star " was 
built in East Boston by Sunday school children all over the 
world. Stock was issued at ten cents a share, which the 
children bought. Ten thousand dollars was the amount 
asked for, but the money came pouring in until thirty thousand 
was raised. The first vessel was wrecked. The third or 
fourth is running now. At one time a captain from Yarmouth 
sailed one, — I do not remember his name. 

To return to my brother, he established a regular trading 
business with whalers, raising hogs, making cocoa oil, and 
gathering tortoise shell. The whole family (all the natives) 
were his workers, and in return he supplied them with every- 
thing they needed. Captain Charles Freeman stopped and 
made him a little visit on one of his whaling voyages. 

In 1862 or '63, some natives from an adjoining island, who 
were jealous of the prosperity of John's island, came over 
there and got into a fight with some of John's people. He 
stepped between them to stop the fracas, when one of the 
other islanders stabbed and killed him. His own people were 
so enraged that they tore the intruders limb from limb, and 



44 Brewster Ship Masters. 

then cast them into the sea for the sharks, which, according to 
one of their superstitions, is the most dreadful thing that can 
happen to one, dead or alive, as it means no future life for 
them. 

John's effects were put on board a New Bedford whaler to 
be brought home. My father not receiving them wrote to the 
owner of the vessel to find out the reason, and learned that 
the captain had proved to be unworthy, and they were obliged 
to send some one for the vessel. Through him they lost 
twenty thousand dollars, and of course John's effects were 
gone, too. They consisted chiefly in silver dollars taken in 
trading with whalers. 

His boys have grown to manhood. The elder, Harry, was a 
protegee of a Captain Tripp, who brought him up almost as a 
son. The other, John, married a Carrie Sturgis, a half breed, 
whose father was a Massachusetts man. Both he and his wife 
were educated by the missionaries, and, until the death of his 
wife, teachers among the natives, doing wonderful work on 
account of speaking their language. They had a boy and girl 
born to them, and they are growing up to be a fine man and 
woman. 

My son Edward of Chicago has ordered John's estate to be 
placed in exactly the same condition as before the typhoon, 
which lately swept across the island and destroyed the 
buildings, at his expense, and we have sent a large box of 
everything in the clothing line. 

Both of John's sons visited my brother Thomas when he 
was living in Honolulu, and in one of his letters, Thomas says, 
"We need not be ashamed of our brother's children." The 
climate, however, was too cool for them and began to tell on 
their constitutions, and they returned to their native isles. 

WmSLO W L. KNO WLE8, JR. 

He was born in Eastham, May 24, 1817. Removed to 
Brewster about 1843. He commanded several ships in the 



Brewster Ship Masters. 45 

Valparaiso and East India trade, the names of which have not 
been ascertained. He died in Calcutta while in command of 
a ship, on October 5, 1863. 

CHARLES LINCOLN. 

He was born in Brewster, Dec. 12, 1804. He had charge of 
the brig " Carib " and bark " Nautilus." He was engaged for 
many years in the fruit trade between Boston and the 
Mediterranean ports, for William Worthington & Co. In 
1856, he was appointed port warden of Boston by the Boston 
Marine Society, which office he held for twenty years. He 
died in South Boston January 2, 1877. 

DAVID LINCOLN. 

He was born in Brewster Dec.l, 1810. He commanded ships 
" Alexander," " South America," " North America," and others. 
He died in Brewster July 1, 1873. 

EDGAR LINCOLN. 

He was born in Brewster September, 1829. He commanded 
ships "Pocahontas," " T. B. Wales," "Hercules," "Gold Hun- 
ter," " Agenor " and " Charmer." After leaving the sea he 
was appointed port warden of Boston and died while in that 
office February, 1897. 

FREEMAN LINCOLN 

Born in Brewster in January, 1827, he commanded the 
ship " Hercules," and several others, the names of which we 
have been unable to ascertain. He died April 17, 1874. 

JOHN W. LINCOLN. 

Capt. Lincoln was born in Brewster in 1827. He was in 



46 Brewster Ship Masters. 

command of the ship « Kentucky " and died on the passage 
from San Francisco to Boston in 1853. 

JOSEPH LINCOLN. 

He was born in Brewster in 1825. He had command of the 
barks " Mist," " Maria " and " Aurelia." He died in Charles- 
ton, S. C, while in command of the latter December, 1870, 
and was buried in Brewster. 

WARREN LINCOLN. 

He was born in Brewster, October 22, 1810. His daughter, 
Mrs. Allen, writes as follows : 

He began going to sea quite young. When a cabin-boy of 
twelve years of age he was captured by pirates. During his 
seafaring life he had command of brig "Draco" and bark 
" Mary." On one of his voyages he took his ship through the 
straights of Magellan, an unusual event at that time. He 
rode by invitation on the first train that left Boston for 
Worcester, going as far as Newton at the rate of eighteen 
miles an hour. Many people asked what were his sensations 
in going at such a fearful rate. He left the sea at the age of 
35 on account of ill health and later carried on a grocery 
business or general country store. He died in Brewster May 
14, 1900. 

Captain Lincoln was captured by pirates in 1822, while on a 
voyage in brig " Iris." The following record of the voyage 
is from his pen : 

We sailed from Boston about the first of November, 1822, 
in the brig "Iris," owned by William Parsons, Esq., of 
Boston. Our crew consisted of eleven, all told, viz.: Freeman 
Mayo, of Brewster, master ; Richard Rich of Bucksport, Me., 
first mate; Sylvanus Crosby of Brewster, second mate; 
Brewster Mayo of Brewster, seaman, who was the first child 
born in Brewster, or rather, he was a twin; Josiah Wing of 



Brewster Ship Masters. 47 

Brewster, seaman ; two other seamen ; Hooper of 

Boston, seaman ; negro for cook ; Mr. Greenleaf of Baltimore, 
a passenger, and the cabin boy 12 years old belonging in 
Brewster and the teller of this story. 

This was my first voyage, and for the first three days 
out I was very homesick and seasick. Nothing remarkable 
occurred until about the 20th. We had passed the Bahama 
Banks and passed the Double Headed Shot Keys during the 
night. About sunrise I was called to my duty, which was to 
keep the cabin tidy, set the table, clear it away, wash 
the dishes, etc. When I came on deck the island of Cuba was 
in sight about 30 miles distant, the wind light, the water 
smooth. We were sailing by the wind, as the sailors term it, 
"full and by." I soon noticed the first mate in earnest 
conversation with the man at the helm and came near enough 
to hear the mate say : 

"They may be pirates," referring to two vessels in-shore of 
us, "and I will call the captain." 

He went into the cabin and called Captain Mayo. His first 
exclamation, spy-glass in hand, was, 

" Damn 'em, they are pirates ! Call all hands on deck, put 
up your helm and keep her off ; square the yards, set the fore- 
topmast studding sail ; bear a hand ! " 

These orders were speedily executed. But the wind being 
light, it did not increase our speed much. Again the captain 
spied them and saw they had sweeps out and that their colors 
were up ; the sweeps were large oars, well manned, the craft 
low in the water and they could propel her fast even in a 
calm. One of the crafts took after us and the other after a 
schooner bound into Matanzas. She proved to be the " Mary 
& Eliza," Capt. Cole, of Salem. The pirate in chase of us fell 
in our wake about three miles astern, and was gaining on us. 
Soon we saw a puff of smoke rise from her deck and heard the 
report of a large cannon. This was evidently a signal for us 
to heave to. We, however, kept on our course. By and by 



48 JBretvster Ship Masters. 

another puff of smoke and the dull, heavy report of a cannon. 
Capt. Mayo then called the officers and Mr. Greenleaf for 
a consultation. It was evident they were gaining rapidly on 
us and would soon be alongside, and if we kept on our course 
it would so enrage them that when they got on board they 
were likely to kill all hands. The result of the consultation 
was the command to " haul down the studding sail, down 
helm, back the main topsail, and let them come alongside." 
Officers and passenger went into the cabin to hide their 
valuables. After they came up I went into the cabin and 
took from my chest a pretty little wallet with small artificial 
flowers under a crystal on the front and containing three 
dollars in bank bills and a few coppers, all my treasures. I got 
upon the transom, opened a small place containing bits of 
rope, canvas, etc., called the boatswain's locker, dug down to 
the bottom and there covered my treasure and went on deck. 
By this time the pirate vessel was close to the " Iris," and we 
had a fair view of her deck, which was crowded with men in 
white duck frocks and trousers and wide brimmed hats. 
Amidships, mounted on a pivot, was a 24-pound cannon and 
on each side several smaller cannon. When abreast of the 
"Iris," they launched a boat and eight men, each armed with a 
sword, pistol and a long, wicked looking knife, got into her 
and came alongside the " Iris." We put over our gangway 
ladder and man-ropes, trying to treat them as politely as 
possible. Just before they got alongside they sent a pistol 
ball whizzing over our quarter deck. It was an exciting 
moment when they got hold of our man-ropes to come on 
board, and I saw pale faces among our crew. We all feared 
they would attack and kill all hands. 

Captain Mayo stood by the gangway. Six of them came up 
in single file, and as they stepped on deck one of them, the 
lieutenant, shook hands with Captain Mayo and asked, 
" Where are you from, captain, and where bound ? " " Bound 
to New Orleans." " Have you a cargo ? " " Only about 200 



Brewster Ship Masters. 49 

boxes of axes and 300 casks of nails, just to help balance the 
brig." "Have you any provisions to spare? We are a 
privateer, cruising after pirates ; have you seen any ? " " No ; 
I might spare you some beef, pork, etc." "Captain, square 
away your maintopsail and stand in for the land." He then 
stationed two of his men abaft the tiller-ropes on guard, and 
the rest of them went into the cabin, broke open chests, trunks, 
desks, etc., and the lieutenant came on deck dressed in our 
captain's best suit of clothes and watch in his pocket, and 
then acknowledged they were pirates. 

We stood in close to land, and then tacked off shore. The 
pirates began searching for luxuries to eat and drink. They 
found a large cheese in the store room, brought it on deck, 
drew a sword, hacked it in pieces, threw part of it in a basket 
with some hard bread, and set it under the bow of the long 
boat for the sailors. We had on board a barrel of New Eng- 
land rum, it being the custom then to allow the sailors grog 
once a day at sea. They filled a decanter and set it on the 
coops with an invitation to all to help themselves. We tacked 
on and off shore all day, beating the " Iris " down the coast of 
Cuba. The pirate vessel left us in the afternoon in chase of 
another ship they saw in the offing. Our officers, sailors and 
passengers, by secret consultation, had agreed to suddenly 
seize the pirates' weapons, as some of them lay carelessly about 
the deck, kill the pirates and run the « Iris " into Mantanzas. 
During the afternoon, Crosby, the second mate, called me into 
the steerage and told me the plan agreed on, which was as 
follows : 

We all expected the " Iris " would be anchored near the land 
before night, and the sailors sent aloft to furl the sails. When 
they came down all hands were to rush on the pirates, seize 
their weapons and kill or drive them overboard. Before 
sunset the " Iris " was anchored near the land, and the sailors 
went aloft to furl sails. As they were coming down, Captain 
Mayo took his station where they would jump on deck, and I 



50 Breicster Ship Masters. 

stood by his side. The pirates, as if mistrusting our intentions, 
came and stood near Captain Mayo, and as the men came down 
on deck, drew their swords and drove them into the forecastle. 
They then struck Captain Mayo and told him to go, too, and 
also the mates and passenger, and I followed. When we were 
all down they shut and fastened the door, and placed a guard 
on each side the forecastle deck. There were eleven of us, 
and the room was small for so many. The weather was warm 
and we nearly suffocated for want of fresh air. Fortunately 
there was a scuttle or hatch unknown to the pirates, that 
opened into the lower hold. The captain took off the hatch 
(our firewood was beneath) and stood on the wood, and in 
that position the deck was nearly up to his breast. Now this 
hatchway led into the lower hold, thence aft, and up into the 
cabin or on deck. All we could hear of the pirates was the 
two on guard over our heads, and every step they took we 
could hear the clink of their swords. After about an hour 
the doors were opened and they called for the cook to get 
water for them. He was afraid to go, but Captain M. told 
him he must. We begged them to send us a bucket of water 
and they did. The mate said there was tobasco in it, but it 
quenched the thirst of those who drank it. Soon we heard 
some one coming in the lower hold. The captain put on the 
hatch and stood on it. Then came the voice of the cook, 
crying, " Oh, do for God's sake, let me come up ; they are going 
to kill me ! " The captain said, " You must not come up ; the 
pirates must not know of this hatchway." He begged for 
some time, but finally displaced the wood, lay down, and 
hauled the wood over him. The pirates came down with lights, 
found him, beat him with their swords and drove him aft, but 
did not wound him. Shortly after the doors were again 
opened and they called for the captain. We then expected 
they were going to kill all hands. We listened for the sound 
of his voice, but could hear nothing but the clink, clink of 
those guards' swords. Then the door was again opened, and 



Brewster Ship Masters. 51 

they called for the passenger and the boy. I thought they 
had killed the captain and would kill me ; but Mr. Greenleaf 
said, « Come along, I don't believe they will kill us; we must 
gcx" We went up and were told by the guard to go aft and 
into the cabin, and there I saw our captain alive, but he had 
been cruelly treated and his life threatened. The pirates, 
four or five of whom were in the cabin, ordered Captain Mayo 
and the cook to go into the forecastle. They then searched 
Greenleaf, took his knife, etc., from him, showed him a bunch 
of keys, and asked him, « Where are the trunks these keys 
belong to ? " He answered, « In Baltimore." They then asked 
him, "Where is your watch?" He told them he had no 
watch. I knew he had a valuable one. They questioned him 
about money, etc., and then told him to go into the forecastle. 
I asked to go with him, but they said, « No, you stop here." The 
cabin was well lighted, and on the table were cakes of choco- 
late, bread and cheese, a decanter of New England rum, cider, 
etc. One pirate filled a tumbler with rum, handed it to me 
and told me to drink it. I told him I did not want it. He 
caught up a long knife and said, "You drink." I tried, but it 
was so strong I could only swallow a very little, and put the 
glass down. He then asked me if there were any money on 
board. I said, " There is none that I know of." He seized me 
by the foretop and threw me back, caught up the knife from 
the table and said, " Now tell me where the money is or I will 
kill you." " Oh ! " I said, " do n't kill me." He let me up and 
urged, " Come, tell me where the money is." I answered him 
as before, and again he seized me and threatened to kill me. 
I sat on my chest and trembled with fright, and wondered if I 
gave him my wallet it would pacify him. I got up on the 
transom, hauled out my wallet and gave it to him. Instantly 
the others sprang up on the transom, hauled everything out of 
the locker, and finding no money were mad, threw me down 
and placed the point of the knife on my head so hard as 
nearly to penetrate. I cried out, " Oh, do n't kill me ! " » Hush, 



52 Brewster Ship Masters. 

hush," he said, and took me by the hand, saying he would 
throw me overboard. When I cried out he let me fall down 
the stairs, and told me to go to bed. I crept away and lay 
down on the sails. 

At daylight they called all hands up from the forecastle, 
cut the hemp cable and made sail, the pirate vessel in com- 
pany. All day we were beating down the coast, and at sunset 
sailed in between Stone Key and Point Jacobs and anchored 
and furled the sails. That night the " Iris " was crowded with 
pirates, going to and from our vessel and robbing us of every- 
thing. They drank freely of the rum and quarelled over the 
booty. Our crew kept out of their way as much as possible, 
some aloft and some out on the bowsprit. Captain Mayo 
called me, and we crept under the long boat and lay on the 
main hatches. 

At sunrise all hands were called. We weighed anchor, 
made sail and ran the " Iris " about three miles into a bay and 
came to anchor. We were now in the pirates' rendezvous, 
close to the shore. They ordered the long boat put overboard 
and carried our cargo of axes and nails on their vessels. After 
the cargo was on their vessels, they ordered the long boat 
stowed in her place. In the afternoon the captain of the 
pirates came on board and told his lieutenant if he did not 
find money within two hours to kill all hands and burn the 
brig. He then ordered me to go in his boat with him. I 
objected. The order to kill and burn was given in Spanish, 
which one of our men understood, and he ran and told Captain 
Mayo. Captain Mayo stepped up to the pirate captain, just as 
he was going into his boat, and begged him to let us have the 
long boat and spare our lives. He said, "No; I have money 
or your lives." "I have no money on board," answered 
Captain Mayo ; " but if you will let me go to Mantanzas I will 
get you any sum you may name." After a moment, he said, 
" Well, you may go to Mantanzas. I give you three days, and 
bring me $6,000 ; if you are not back on the third day, I will 



Brewster Ship Masters. 53 

kill your crew and burn the " Iris." That night at dark they 
gave him his best suit of clothes and watch, and told him to 
get ready and go on board one of their vessels. The mates, 
passenger and myself never expected to see him again. He 
said to me, " If they order you again to go on board of their 
vessels, do you go, and you will sometime have a chance to 
escape." "We bade him good-by. His last words were, " I shall 
come back, whether I get the money or not." 

The pirates carried him to the harbor of Mantanzas, put 
him on a boat and sent him into town. He first applied to the 
governor, who did not seem inclined to assist him. He then 
went to the merchants, but they were not willing to treat 
with the pirates, at any rate. He, however, got together 
$3,000. The American captains in port agreed to muster a 
force, and got together about thirty volunteers to go down 
and re-capture the " Iris," but these numbers were not deemed 
sufficient for the undertaking and it was given up. This was 
the second day since he left the " Iris," and the third day he 
was to be back with the money. Again he went on shore and 
tried to raise more money, but with no success. When almost 
in a state of despair, he saw a U. S. man-of-war coming into 
the harbor. He immediately went on board of her. She 
proved to be the United States schooner "Alligator," Lieut. 
Allen, with fourteen guns and well manned. Captain Mayo 
reported his situation and orders were quickly given, " Ready 
about!" Captain Mayo as pilot. On the morning of the day 
he was to return with the money, he was at the entrance to 
the bay on the Alligator, and found four vessels at anchor — 
one a pirate schooner, the others prizes which they had 
captured. At sight of the "Alligator" they left their prizes and 
took to sweeping into the bay, firing a large gun as warning 
to their comrades who were guarding the " Iris." 

After Captain Mayo left us to go to Mantanzas, things went 
smoothly until the morning of the third day, when, shortly 
after sunrise, we were all ordered to go below, and the doors 



54 Brewster Ship Masters. 

closed upon us. Asking why we must do so, the lieutenant 
said, " Merchants are coming from Mantanzas to examine our 
cargo and you must not be seen." The lieutenant and all his 
men then left the "Iris" and boarded one of their own vessels, 
which was anchored near us. After awhile, Crosby, the 
second mate, said, " I 'm going to have a look out," and he 
went up the stairs and pushed the door ajar, so that we each 
had a lookout. On the deck of the vessel near us we could 
see the men, merchants and pirates. Suddenly we heard the 
report of a cannon. Crosby said, " Hark ! That report means 
something." Again he pushed open the door. The pirates 
were getting their vessel under weigh with sweeps out, and 
the merchants were making all speed up the bay in their barge. 
Crosby pushed the door wide open, calling out, " Come up, 
come up. They are all gone." We all went on deck and saw 
the pirate vessel sweeping around the Point, with three boats 
in chase of her, and soon they commenced a battle. We could 
hear the reports of the cannon and muskets, and see the 
glistening of guns and swords. Some of our men thought the 
pirates were fighting each other ; others said, " Pirates' guns 
would not glisten like that ; it must be a man-of-war's boat." 
Crosby was anxious to get nearer, and seizing an axe ran aft 
and cut the lashings to the boat, saying, "I swear I'll go 
somewhere." The battle lasted about half an hour ; then boats 
and schooner went out of the bay, the other pirate schooner 
up to the head of the bay and all seemed quiet. " Now," said 
the mate, " let 's have some breakfast. Bring up the dishes, 
boy, and set the table on the quarter deck." 

I was just pouring out the coffee, when some one said, 
"There's a boat coming up the bay." Instantly every eye 
was on her, and we soon saw she was coming toward us. 
Excitement was intense. Our mate hailed the schooner " Mary 
and Eliza " and asked : 

"What do you think of that boat?" 

Answer : " We think it an American man-of-war's boat the 



TO 

34 



2 
•o 

w 
*C 
O 




Brewster Ship Masters. 55 

pirates have captured, and now they are coming to kill us all. 
If you will send for us we will all go on board the " Iris " and 
with the ballast and kedge anchor we '11 try to sink their boat." 

Chief mate and one sailor sprang into our boat and were 
lowered into the water. They went alongside the schooner 
and took in her crew ; but instead of coming back to us they 
pulled for the shore. Crosby shouted, " Come back, for God's 
sake, and let 's all die together." But they did not heed. The 
pirate boat came nearer and nearer. I ran down in the hold, 
hurried aft to the stern post and leaning there heard the 
hellish tumult on deck. I heard the terrible screams of Crosby 
as he ran, with the pirates after him cutting him till he jumped 
overboard. Then they threw broken dishes after him. They 
found the sailors in the lower hold, drove them about, cutting 
and wounding them as they begged for mercy. I could hear 
every blow they struck, and thought all would surely be killed. 

Crosby found it hard to give up and drown. He caught at 
the davit tackle, climbed on deck, walked forward and said, 
" Now kill me, if you like ; I wont run any more for you." 
They told him to get into the boat, and made loud calls for 
the boy. 

The tumult lasted about fifteen minutes, and then all was 
quiet, except the tramp and the Spanish language of the 
pirates. Suddenly one of them came down near me, drew his 
sword, and, seeming to look me right in the face, felt about 
with his sword; but just as I was about to spring up, he 
turned and went on deck. I wondered if he really did not see 
me. Then one of the sailors came down, and I asked who was 
killed. « No one is killed, my boy, but all are wounded. You 
had better go up, for they know you are on board and they 
are going to burn the vessel." So I went up. Five or six 
men circled around me, clashing their swords over my head, 
and were greatly excited over me, some wanting to kill me, 
others not willing to kill a boy. They called for powder and 
then for fire. I told them I could not get either. Then they 



56 Brewster Ship Masters. 

told me to get into the boat. I went to the Bide and saw the 
boat with Crosby in the bow, his head badly wounded and the 
blood running over his face and neck. Greenleaf stood by his 
side and some of the sailors were there also. As I came into 
the boat one of the pirates said to me, "Ah, ha ! You no come 
when we call. Never mind, we fix you by and by." Another 
sailor, a Swede, came into the boat, and as he sat down a sword 
came whizzing by my ear and struck him on the fleshy part of 
his shoulder, laying open a long, deep gash. Fearing I should 
get a blow next, I sprang up, intending to jump overboard. 
Then I saw a slight commotion in the boat, and Crosby whis- 
pered to Greenleaf, " Now is the time to escape ; whisper the 
man next you and tell him I am going to push off." The man 
answered, " It wont do." Crosby cried out, " I swear I '11 do 
it." He pushed off the boat, sprang aft, seized the pirate by 
the throat and sent him backward overboard. One moment 
later would have been too late, for the pirates were just ready 
to get into the boat. They ran and got handspikes, 
buckets, etc., to throw at us, but Crosby seized a musket 
and aimed it, saying, "Now, damn you, fire!" and they all 
dropped out of sight. We pulled away from the brig as fast 
as possible. We landed on the Point, hauled our boat up on 
the beach, took out the ammunition and ran into the bushes. 

Crosby sang out for all to return to the boat, launch her 
and keep close to the shore, and if there were any danger from 
pirates to go into the bushes. We kept near shore and pulled 
for Mantanzas, about thirty-three miles off, we supposed. The 
wind favored us, and the sailors, in spite of their wounds, took 
their turn at the oars, their gladness because of their escape 
nerving them beyond their real strength. All day we rowed. 
At dark we entered the harbor of Mantanzas. Wishing to 
avoid the Spaniards, and, if possible, get on board an American 
vessel, we muffled oars and kept silent. Soon there came, 
"Boat ahoy!" We answered, "Halloo!" "What boat is 
that?" We told of our escape and asked to go on board. 



Brewster Ship Masters. 57 

They called to us to come on board, and when they saw the 
blood on the wounded, the captain got out his medicine chest 
and dressed all the wounds, and then had beds brought up on 
deck under an awning, and we all lay down to such peace and 
rest as must be realized to be appreciated. 

We will return to the man-of-war "Alligator." You will 
remember that at the sight of her the pirates left their prize 
vessels and swept into the bay, at the same time firing a 
cannon as warning to their companions. Captain Allen, 
finding that he could not overtake them with the "Alligator," 
took to his boats, selecting twelve of his best men with Captain 
Mayo for his boat, Lieutenant Dale with twelve good men for 
a second boat, and the gig with six men. With this force 
they attacked the pirates. Captain Allen stood up waving his 
sword and cheering his men, while shot flew like hail about 
them. Captain Mayo was paying his $6,000 in powder and 
ball. They took the first vessel without loss of a man, driving 
the pirates to their boats. On nearing the next vessel Captain 
Allen was shot in the head. Seeing their leader wounded the 
men wavered, but he still cheered them on. Soon three 
men were wounded, and they were ordered to retreat. On 
the retreat Captain Allen received his death wound through 
the body and died soon after on board the "Alligator." 

On the afternoon of this day, Captain Mayo with men from 
the "Alligator " went on board the " Iris," but found not a soul 
on board and expected every one was murdered. They brought 
the " Iris," together with the whole fleet, six in number, all 
under convoy of the United States schooner "Alligator," with 
the body of Captain Allen on board, got under weigh and 
came into the harbor of Mantanzas, where Captain Mayo was 
much surprised to find all his crew save one. Captain Allen 
was buried in Mantanzas. Lieutenant Dale, then captain, 
took all the papers of the vessels re-captured by the "Alligator," 
and proceeded toward Charleston, S. C, in order to settle the 
salvage with the United States government. The second 



58 Brewster Ship Masters. 

night out the "Alligator " ran on to a reef on the coast of Florida 
and was lost. 

We arrived in Charleston, where Captain Mayo bought a 
musket and sword for each man of his crew, and then we 
sailed for New Orleans, under convoy of the brig " Belvidere " 
of Beverly, Captain Lampson. We kept with her until past 
Cuba and arrived in New Orleans the first of February, 1823. 

The death of Captain Allen caused the United States 
government to send out a fleet of war vessels, which effectually 
put a stop to piracy. The Cabin Boy. 

JEREMIAH MA TO. 

He was born in Brewster, January 29, 1786, and died there 
May 2, 1867. His granddaughter, Mrs. E. C. Dugan, of St. 
Paul, Minnesota, has very kindly loaned the following : 

The subject of this sketch was a Brewster man, having 
spent a lifetime in his native town. 

Jeremiah Mayo was the son of Asa Mayo and Sally Seabury. 
The nine sons of Asa Mayo measured 55 feet in the aggregate. 
Jeremiah was 6 feet, 4 inches. When 14 years of age he went 
fishing to the Straits of Belle Isle and earned 1225 that 
summer. Previous to this he had been out of school summers 
working on the farm. His father looked out that his boys did 
their share of work in the blacksmith's shop. Jeremiah had 
a forge of his own, and when 16 years of age shod all the 
horses that were brought to the shop. 

The spring after he was 18 he wanted to go with Captain 
Solomon Crosby to the Bahamas for a load of salt. His father 
was willing, if he would agree to go a fishing voyage that 
summer on his return — he still meant to make a blacksmith 
of him. But the young man was equally opposed to black- 
smithing and fishing. Accordingly on his return from this six 
weeks' voyage he shipped with Captain Hastings of Chelsea, 
who was going a voyage to Marseilles in the ship " Sally." In 



Brevister Ship Masters. 59 

1804, he sailed with Captain Hastings, and, being a new hand, 
it was left with the captain to pay what he judged was right. 
At the end of the voyage, he was pleased to receive from 
Captain Hastings $22 a month, which he said was 12 more 
than he paid any other sailor. 

His next voyage was made on an armed ship, the " Indus- 
try." They sailed up the Mediterranean, stopping at the ports 
of Malaga, Leghorn, Alicant and Marseilles. On this voyage 
they took out a cargo of fish, returning with wheat. On the 
passage home, near Gibraltar, they were attacked by the Turks 
in three lateen vessels. This was in 1805, when the Algerines 
were so troublesome. This engagement lasted two hours, 
during which Jeremiah received a flesh wound in the leg. 

During the encounter, the captain of the " Industry " had 
his leg shot off and was left in a hospital in Lisbon. The man 
was Captain Gamaliel Bradford, and his brother who was first 
mate, took charge of the ship on her home passage. The 
vessel sailed from Lisbon to Dublin, where the cargo of wheat 
was left and the ship brought home in ballast. This was 
called a large ship in those days, being of about three hundred 
tons. 

After remaining at home for a few days, he shipped as 
mate in the brig « Salem," Captain Kimball Clark in charge. 
They sailed first to Amsterdam, then to Cadiz, returning to 
Boston with a cargo of salt and wine. Soon after leaving 
Amsterdam, Captain Clark was seized with colic, which was 
followed by a fever, and he was unable to be on deck when 
they arrived at Cadiz. This was Jeremiah's first voyage as 
mate. The navigation was difficult in the North sea, and the 
second mate, his cousin, Nathan Atwood Mayo, was young and 
had had but little experience. Both mates were but 19 years 
of age. It was a trying time for the young man, who came 
out of it with credit. 

A second voyage as mate was made with Capt. Clark in the 
" Salem," when they took a cargo of fish to San Sebastian. 



60 Brewster Ship Masters. 

When two or three days out the brig sprang aleak. The men 
being covered with salt water from the seas breaking in upon 
them from both sides, became afflicted with boils. Owing to 
this, together with the constant pumping, much suffering 
followed. Capt. Clark soon gave up in despair, saying that 
they would go to the bottom. The mate asked if he would 
give up the charge of the vessel to him. The captain said he 
would, for he should not come on deck again. The mate then 
took in sail and put her under close reef main topsail. He 
treated the crew from a barrel of cider on board and gave 
them plenty of crackers to eat, for during this time they had 
no opportunity for cooking, subsisting on dry codfish. They 
were set to pumping. The leakage was due to too heavy 
a cargo and fish were ordered to be thrown overboard. As 
many as three or four hundred quintals were disposed of in 
this way, the fish having but to be thrown upon the deck, 
when they would be washed overboard. The leakage soon 
subsided, though it had continued four or five days. When 
they arrived at San Sebastian they had to lay in quarantine 
forty days. This was a Spanish custom. There was but one 
vessel in port, a brig from Philadelphia. Capt. Clark ordered 
the long boat to be filled with fish and to be carried to that 
brig, the money received being paid over to the mate, for, as 
the captain said, it was through his efforts that his vessel and 
their lives were saved. The sale amounted to $200. There 
was not a vehicle of any kind in San Sebastian, all burdens 
being carried upon the heads of the men and women. This 
cargo of fish was taken off wholly by the women, who brought 
baskets of sand, emptying them in the vessel's hold for ballast 
to Bordeaux. About sixty were employed. 

At Bordeaux Capt. Clark sold the " Salem " and left for 
home. The mate remained with the vessel, for the French 
owners of the brig wished him to take her and run to the 
northern ports of France with claret wine. The vessel 
cleared, but there being war at the time between France and 



JJreicster Ship Masters. Gl 

England, permission would not be given to clear for a French, 
port. The first day out the " Salem " was hoarded by an 
English man-of-war. The ship's papers appeared all right 
and the brig was allowed to proceed without molestation. 
She sailed by Brest and Ushant, cleared for the bay upon 
which lies Morlaix, which was the real destination of the brig. 
Here the cargo of wine was discharged and the seams of the 
vessel were covered with pitch as a pretense for landing 
at this port. On the return to Bordeaux the brig was again 
boarded, but was for the second time released after the plausi- 
ble account of leaving the cargo at Morlaix for repairs to the 
vessel. 

Claret wine was then worth three or four times as much at 
Morlaix as at Bordeaux. No Frenchman thought he could 
take his dinner without claret. 

On his return to Bordeaux, Jeremiah shipped with an 
American captain as first officer of the " Victoris." They went 
to Poliac, where they loaded with a cargo of wine called 
Medoc. This they took to Spain. They were in Corunna a 
few days after the battle between the French and English, 
January 16, 1809. 

He speaks of the prisoners which he saw then as the most 
wretched-looking creatures he had ever beheld. 

On returning to Boston he made arrangements with Joshua 
Ellis to take command of the schooner " Lawry," owned by 
him, which was then loading for Southern ports. He then 
went to Brewster, where he married as his first wife, Sally 
Crosby, on April 30, 1809. During the years 1809-10 the 
young Captain Mayo made voyages in the " Lawry " to 
Baltimore, Norfolk, Edenton, N. C, Wilmington and 
Petersburg, Va. In 1811, he went to Baltimore, whence he 
sailed for Oporto and Vigo. A second voyage was made to 
Corunna, where he saw the monument erected to the memory 
of Sir John Moore, who fell in the battle. Early in March he 
sailed for Gottenburg, thence to Boston. 



62 Brewster Ship Masters. 

The following summer, soon after the declaration of war 
between the United States and Great Britain, he started from 
Boston with a crew for the ship " Ariadne," of which he was 
to take command. The ship was then at Baltimore loading 
with a cargo of flour for Lisbon. As the schooner entered 
Chesapeake bay, soon after daybreak, the mate who was on 
deck, rushed down stairs and roused the captain, saying : 

" Lynnhaven bay is full of frigates." 

There was but a light wind at the time and they hoped to 
escape the enemy by running up the bay towards Baltimore. 
But they had no sooner attempted this than a boat manned 
by marines started in pursuit of them. The captain armed 
his crew and sent them below with instructions to remain 
there until he called them, leaving but one man and a boy on 
deck beside himself. The wind dying away, the enemy 
approached near enough to reach them with their guns. The 
captain hove to and a boat came alongside and took possession. 
The British officer who came on board asked how many men 
he had, to which Capt. Mayo replied, " one man and a boy, as 
you see." After waiting for sometime for the wind to rise 
that they might take the vessel into the bay, they departed, 
leaving only a guard of three or four men on board. They 
were becalmed most of the day and towards night two boats' 
crews were sent to tow the vessel in. When the officer came 
on board Captain Mayo called to his crew to come on deck. 
As they filed up, one after another, the officer shouted with an 
oath of astonishment, " how many men have you ? " " Enough 
to show you the way to Baltimore, if we had been favored 
with a wind," was the reply. The officer said : " I should not 
have blamed you if you had." It was Captain Mayo's 
intention, if the wind had risen, to have disarmed the guard 
and taken them prisoners to Baltimore. Captain Mayo was 
taken on board the British frigate, where he was kept three 
days. He then paid the ransom for his vessel and was allowed 
to proceed to Baltimore. 




CAPTAIN JEREMIAH MAYO 



Brewster Ship Masters. 63 

On reaching Baltimore he received orders from his owners 
to by no means attempt to evade the blockading squadron, 
news of which had reached them as guarding the entrance of 
Chesapeake bay. This was a great disappointment to the 
captain, who believed he could safely sail out of the bay and 
make his foreign voyage. So, contrary to his judgment, he 
had to obey instructions and take his cargo over land from 
Baltimore to New York, a most difficult undertaking on the 
corduroy roads, with a most uncouth set of men as teamsters. 
Often barrels of flour would be stolen during the night, as 
they were asleep under the wagons, some of which they would 
recover by searching the following day. 

In 1812, a town meeting was held in Brewster, at which 
time delegates were appointed to attend the convention to be 
held at Yarmouth, for the purpose of taking measures "relat- 
ing to the distresses of the present war with Great Britain." 
Of the ten men chosen to represent the town, all were sea 
captains, among whom was Jeremiah Mayo. It was said that 
at this time, there was a greater proportion of commanders of 
vessels in Brewster than in any town of its population. 

In the spring of 1813, Captain Mayo went to Newbury port 
to superintend the building of a brig, the " Sally," and while 
here he visited Lord Timothy Dexter, the man who made a 
fortune by exporting warming pans to the West Indies. 

Captain Mayo went several foreign voyages to Liverpool, 
Havre, Gottenburg, Stockholm and other places, in the " Sally," 
taking out a cargo from Southern ports in the United States 
and bringing home a portion of his cargo to some port in the 
South, as well as to New York and Boston. Once when on a 
passage home from Gottenburg he encountered thick weather 
after leaving the coast of Denmark, and was unable either to 
take an observation or get a sight of land before reaching the 
ocean, being obliged to sail by dead reckoning. He was 
spoken by an inward bound vessel, who asked his latitude and 
longitude, having been unable himself to take an observation 



64 J3reivster Ship Masters. 

for a long time. Captain Mayo replied that he was off the 
Scilly islands. He was asked when he last verified his 
position. Captain Mayo said he had not seen land since he 
left the Cattegat. The captain could hardly believe that he 
could be sure of his locality, but Captain Mayo was confident, 
and, on taking an observation shortly after, showed that he 
was correct and proved his skill as a navigator. 

During the time he was in command of a vessel, he never 
lost a man nor suffered shipwreck. He kept careful watch 
himself, never trusting to his men. 

While in Havre, about a month after the battle of Waterloo, 
he was interviewd by an agent of Napoleon Bonaparte, who 
inquired if he would undertake to carry the emperor to the 
United States. Although aware of the danger of the enter- 
prise, which in case of capture would result in the confiscation 
of his vessel and cargo, he replied promptly that he would. 
Soon after, he heard that he had surrendered himself to the 
British. If he had taken him, he would probably have reached 
our coast in safety, for his vessel was not spoken from the 
time he left Havre until he reached Boston. The " Sally " was 
a fast sailer and never encountered a vessel that could outsail 
her. 

Captain Mayo had a great admiration for Napoleon and saw 
him at Bayonne on horseback, in 1808, when he was landing 
his army in Spain. He was in Paris the day of the execution 
of Marshal Ney, December 7, 1815, and heard the shot fired in 
the garden of the Luxembourg. On another of his visits to 
Paris Lafayette was pointed out to him. The marquis was in 
a carriage just drawing away from the Hall of the Assembly. 

Captain Mayo's vessel was one of the first to reach England 
after peace was declared. The captain of an English frigate 
lying in port sent him an invitation to dine with him on board 
his ship. lie was most courteously treated. The British 
officer complimented the Americans on their skill and bravery 
in naval engagements. He said that he had heard that the 



Jlrewster Ship Masters. 65 

" Cyanne " and " Levant " had been captured by the " Consti- 
tution," and asked if she had reached port with her prizes. 
He was told that one had reached port and the other had been 
re-captured. The officer said that it was a daring and skilful 
exploit; he added that he was employed during the war to 
convoy an English fleet of vessels to Canada. He was well 
prepared to resist an attack from an equal force, but he was 
very thankful that he did not encounter the enemy, for 
although he might have stood an equal chance of success in 
an engagement, yet the Americans fought with such despera- 
tion that there must have been a severe encounter. 

Captain Mayo resigned the charge of the brig " Sally," and 
the owners secured the services of Captain Isaao Berry, who 
with his wife sailed on her next voyage, from which they 
never returned, nothing being ever heard from the brig or 
crew. 

Captain Mayo received a commission as captain of the 
Brewster artillery company in 1819 and as major in 1820. In 
1822, he was commissioned as brigadier general of the third 
brigade, 5th division, state militia, which position he held for 
seven years, resigning in 1829. His resignation was accepted 
by a letter, which complimented him on the satisfactory 
manner in which he had performed his duties during the time 
he had held this office. 

He held a commission as justice of the peace from 1829 to 
1867, the year of his death. He was often called upon to write 
deeds and other legal documents, to administer on estates and 
to appraise the value of property. He was well read in law 
and his judgment on legal points was held in high esteem. Of 
the many cases tried before him, while a few appealed to a 
higher court, in not a single instance was his decision reversed. 
He was a licensed auctioneer and was often called upon to sell 
woodland and other property at auction. He was a skilful 
surveyor and draughtsman and attended to all business of that 
kind in town. He was president of the Brewster Marine 



66 Brewster Ship Masters. 

Insurance Co., which gave him employment for a number of 
years. His farm comprised forty acres, with crops of grass, 
potatoes, corn, rye, oats and other cereals. 

He married as his second wife Mary Paddock Clark, 
daughter of Isaac Clark and Temperance Sears, May 2, 1824. 

Mr. Benjamin Drew wrote in 1881 : " General Mayo seemed 
to me a man who had seen a great deal of the world. He had 
rare conversational powers. Usually his talk was of the 
narrative order, but in narrating he would give word pictures 
of places and scenes." 

He was interested and active in town affairs up to the time 
of his death in 1867. 

FREEMAN MA TO. 

He was born in Harwich, now Brewster, July 7, 1789. He 
was master of the brig "Iris" in 1822. Near the coast of 
Cuba the brig was chased and captured by pirates. Captain 
Mayo was allowed three days to go to Mantanzas to obtain 
money to redeem the brig. He found there the United States 
schooner "Alligator," Captain Allen, fourteen guns, who sailed 
for the « Iris." In the fight, Captain Allen of the "Alligator " 
was killed. This caused the United States government to 
send war vessels enough to put an end to piracy among those 
islands. This story is told at length by Captain Warren 
Lincoln, who was the cabin boy at that time and wrote the 
account for the entertainment of his family. 

Captain Freeman Mayo died in Brewster. 

CHARLES E. MYRICK. 

He was born in East Brewster, February 2, 1841. In 1872, 
he was master of the brig "Red Wing;" in 1875, barque 
"Amazon;" in 1880, barkentine "Spotless;" in 1887, "Adda 
J. Bonner;" in 1890, barkentine "Good News." These were 




CAPTAIN DAVID NTCKEUSON 



Brewster Ship Masters. 67 

in the coffee trade, sailing between Baltimore and Rio de 
Janeiro. 

In 1873, the "Red Wing" was dismasted in a severe hurri- 
cane. The crew were taken off the wreck, after drifting about 
for five days, and finally landed at Pensacola. 

He writes that he made nineteen voyages in the "Amazon," 
in the " Spotless " fourteen, in the "A. J. Bonner " seven, and 
in the " Good News," since 1890, thirty-four voyages to Rio 
and hopes to make a few more. 

He is now (1905) living in Baltimore. 

SAMUEL MYRICE. 

He was born in Brewster, August 13, 1792. He commanded 
ships sailing to Mediterranean ports and the Western islands, 
names of which we have been unable to ascertain. 

He died in Brewster, August 12, 1843. 

DAVID NICKERSON 

He was born in Chatham, July 18, 1772. In early life he 
removed to Brewster. He had command of the ships " Mon- 
soon " and " Ten Brothers," and schooner " Hope." He died 
on the passage from Africa to Boston on board of the schooner 
"Hope," February 26, 1819. 

DAVID NICKERSON. 

He was born in Brewster, August 11, 1799. He was master 
of the brig " Carib," in the Honduras trade, and others, names 
unknown. After retiring from the sea, he settled in Boston 
and established the house of D. Nickerson & Co., engaged in 
shipping and South American trade. At the time of his death 
he was president of the Mechanics' Bank. 

He died in Boston, September 3, 1847. 



68 Brewster Ship Masters. 

FRANCIS F. NICKERSON 

He was born in Brewster, March 19, 1817. He had charge 
of the bark "Carib" and other vessels, names not known, 
sailing between Boston and Honduras. 

He died in Truxillo, February 6, 1869. 

FREDERIC NICKERSON 

He was born in Brewster, December 15, 1808. He was a 
sailor in his early days, and master of vessels in the Surinam 
and South American trade when quite young. 

On retiring from the sea, he became partner in the house of 
D. Nickerson & Co., later F. Nickerson & Co., engaged in the 
foreign and shipping trade, and was a large ship owner. He 
was much interested in Western railroads and was a director 
in several of them. 

When he retired from the sea, he resided in Boston, and for 
the last twenty years made his summer home in Brewster. 
He took a great interest in all town and church matters and 
contributed largely towards them. 

He died in Boston, January 12, 1879. 

JONATHAN S. NICKERSON 

He was born in Brewster, March 18, 1807. He commanded 
vessels in the South American and Surinam trade in his 
younger days. Later he was of the firm of F. Nickerson & 
Co., and was also largely interested in Western railroads. 
Upon retiring from the sea, he removed to Boston, where he 
died January 18, 1882. 

JOSEPH NICKERSON. 

He was born in Brewster, March 3, 1804. He had charge of 
ship "Kentucky" and others, whose names have not been 
ascertained. 



Brewster Ship Masters. 69 

After leaving the sea he engaged in the ship chandlery in 
Boston. He was also largely interested in Western railroads. 
He contributed generously towards the library in Brewster 
and also in support of preaching in the Unitarian church and 
in the care and protection of the "Old Burial Ground." On 
retiring from the sea he removed to Boston, but was always 
interested in his native town. 

He died in Brewster, February 28, 1880. 

EBEN W. PAINE. 

He was born in Brewster, November 10, 1835. He com- 
manded barks "Sicilian," "J. W. Ropes" and "Joseph Ropes" 
in the trade between Boston and Zanzibar on the coast of 
Africa. He was for six years agent for Messrs. Ropes & Co. 
at Zanzibar. He retired from the sea in 1886. He was town 
clerk and treasurer for many years, also treasurer of the 
Cemetery association. 

He died in Brewster, August 19, 1904. 

REUBEN PAINE. 

He was born in Brewster, 1810. He had command of the 
ship " Hamilton," barks " Binney " and " Wacoma." He died 
in Brewster, November 18, 1848. 

BANGS PEPPER. 

He was born in Brewster, June 2, 1806. He was master of 
the brig "Senator" in the West India trade and of other 
vessels, the names of which we have been unable to ascertain. 
He died in Brewster, April 11, 1885. 

ELISIIA FREEMAN SEARS. 

The following sketch is furnished by Mrs. E. F. Sears : 

He was born in Brewster, March 28, 1831. He had com- 



70 Brewster Ship Masters. 

mand of ships « Cape Cod," " Wild Ranger," " City of Boston," 
"Kentuckian" and "Glory of Seas," and steamer "City of 
Bath " in the transport service in the Civil war, and steam- 
ships " Concordia " and " Erie." 

In 1852, in the " Cape Cod," he carried the first load of ice 
to Iquique and the framed house for storing it. In the " Wild 
Ranger " he made several voyages between Boston, the East 
Indies and Europe. 

In March, 1861, in the "City of Boston," on the passage 
from Boston to Liverpool, he saw the English barque 
"Augusta," loaded with grain and leaking badly and flying a 
signal of distress. Although it was blowing hard, he was able 
to take off all the crew of thirteen men and carry them to 
Liverpool. The "Augusta " sank soon after the crew left her. 

In the transport service in 1862-'63, he carried and placed the 
big gun called the " swamp-angel," that was expected to 
re-take Fort Sumter, at Charleston. He was at Ship island 
with troops for General Butler at New Orleans. He was in 
the "Concordia" several years, sailing between Boston and 
New Orleans. 

In 1870, in the steamship " Erie," he carried a valuable cargo 
of war material to the French at Brest. On the return pas- 
sage, via London, with a number of passengers and a large lot 
of animals for Barnum's menagerie, the propeller was lost. 
They tried to come to New York under sail. When they 
reached St. Thomas, their provisions were nearly gone and the 
last of the flour was being baked. After fitting out with 
provisions for themselves and the animals, they sailed for New 
York, where they arrived after a passage of about fifty days 
from London. There were one hundred and fifty persons on 
board, and the provisions had to be measured out carefully. 
There were four large lions and several tigers. They were 
obliged to kill some of the trained ponies and goats to feed the 
valuable wild animals. 

Afterwards, Captain Sears was superintendent of the 




CAPTAIN JOSEPH NICKERSON 



Brewster Ship Masters. 71 

Boston and Nantasket excursion boats, and after 1886 he was 
superintendent of Simpson's patent dry dock at East Boston. 

He lived in Melrose from 1863 to 1869, and after that in 
Jamaica Plain, where he died April 15, 1897. 

J. IIENR Y SEARS. 

He was born in Brewster, June 8, 1829. At an early age he 
went to sea and in 1851 had command of the ship "Faneuil 
Hall," making voyages between the Atlantic ports and Europe. 

In 1853, he commanded the clipper ship "Wild Ranger," 
making two voyages to San Francisco, returning via Callao. 

In 1855, he took charge of the ship " Titan," then engaged 
by the French government to take troops and munitions of 
war between French ports and the Crimea, during the Crimean 
war. The ship was in this business for two years. After the 
war, in 1857, the "Titan" went to New Orleans, taking from 
that port to Liverpool the largest cargo of cotton ever carried 
in any ship previously. On entering the port of Liverpool in 
a heavy gale, the ship, while in charge of a pilot, became 
unmanageable. She was leaking badly and had so much 
water in the hold that she would not steer. Her main and 
mizzen masts were cut away, when the ship righted and was 
taken into port. 

After repairs were made, the "Titan" took on board 1030 
passengers for Melbourne, Australia, making a successful 
voyage. Thence to Callao, loading a cargo of guano for 
London; but on the passage, owing to heavy weather and 
leaking badly, she was abandoned in the South Atlantic, 1100 
miles east of the coast of Brazil. The crew took to the boats, 
intending to reach the coast near Rio de Janeiro, but were 
taken off by a French ship, after being in the boats for a 
week, and landed at Pernambuco. 

Later, Captain Sears commanded ship " Franklin Havan " in 
the Australia and California trade, leaving her in San Fran- 
cisco in 1801. He retired from the sea at that time. 



72 Brewster Ship Masters. 

In 1863, he was engaged in the shipping business in Boston 
as partner in the firm of J. Henry Sears & Co., acting as 
agents of ships and steamers to Southern ports and Liverpool 
and London. 

He retired from active business in 1898, and moved to 
Brewster, where he has a summer home. During his business 
life he resided in Dorchester. He is now (1905) president of 
the Cape Cod Pilgrim Memorial association. 

JOSEPH HAMBLEN SEARS. 

He was born in Brewster, November 9, 1801. As a boy he 
worked on the farm and in the making of salt. He was 
engaged in the packet service between East Dennis and Boston 
and was mate and captain of the packets "Combine" and 
"David Porter" for several years, and after that master of 
schooners "Atlas " and " Cornelia " in the coasting trade. His 
last voyages were in the ships "Asia," "Faneuil Hall" and 
" Expounder " in the foreign trade. While in command of 
the "Faneuil Hall" at New Orleans, he was invited to go on a 
trial trip of a new tugboat, the "Anglo Norman," just built 
there. About one hundred and thirty invited guests were on 
the steamer. She steamed for about twenty miles up the 
Mississippi river, then turned and started to come down to the 
city. Just before reaching New Orleans, while under full 
steam, the boilers exploded, completely wrecking the upper 
part of the boat. There were about forty of the guests either 
killed or blown overboard. Captain Sears escaped all injury. 

He retired from the sea in 1855. 

He was treasurer of the First church for many years, and 
trustee of Brewster cemetery, and was always interested in 
the improvements of the town. He always lived in Brewster 
and died there February 3, 1885. 

FREEMAN SNO W. 

He was born in Brewster, October 26, 1826. He commanded 




CAPTAIN E. F. SEARS 



Brewster Ship Masters. 73 

ship "John M. Mayo" in the foreign trade. He was for 
several years master of steamers " Oriental " and "Alhambra," 
sailing between Boston and Prince Edwards island and Halifax, 
and also between Boston and New Orleans. His last command 
was the ship " Electra " in the East India trade. 
He died in Brewster, July, 1895. 

JOSEPH SNO W. 

He was born in Brewster, 1830. He was master of ships 
"Antelope " and " Stephen Brown " and brig "Annette." He 
was in charge of the "Stephen Brown," on the passage 
outward from New York in January, 1856, and was never again 
heard from. 

OB ED SNOW. 

He was born in Brewster, September, 1795. He always 
lived in Brewster, but the names of the vessels he commanded 
are not known. He died in July, 1865. 

JONATHAN THACHER. 

He was born in Brewster, 1793. He commanded the ship 
" Valhalla " and several others, the names of which cannot be 
ascertained. He died in Brewster, April 20, 1853. 

ALBERT WINSLOW. 

He was born in Brewster, January 23, 1841. He had charge 
of the ship " White Swallow." After retiring from the sea, 
he engaged in the ship chandlery business in Boston, where he 
is now living (1905). 

ELKANAH WINSLOW. 

He was born in Brewster, December 11, 1802. In 1844, he 
was master of the schooners "Combine," "Vinton" and 



74 Brewster Ship Masters. 

"Watchman," all in the West India trade. Later, he had 
charge of the barque " Sabra." While in charge of the 
"Sabra," he died at Manzanilla, Mexico, July 4, 1851, and was 
buried there. 




CAPTAIN J. HENRY SEARS 



REMINISCENT. 



THERE is an old saying somewhere that " he who travels 
much learns much." It used to mean more than it does now. 
When people moved hut little from their own firesides in 
their own districts, when railroads were unknown and ships 
moved by the power of the winds of heaven, when to go a 
hundred miles meant some danger to life and limb, he 
who travelled learned of other lands and other peoples, 
and he who staid at home learned nothing of either but such 
as came to his fireside. The newspaper, if there was one, told 
of the doings of the town and somewhere on its four small 
pages gave a column to the news of the world brought 
in by the last packet. 

It would probably be impossible today for any one of us, 
who has begun to think for himself since the introduction 
of electricity and steam, to imagine just what the broadening 
influence of journeys to Europe and Asia meant before those 
first days began. The only way to get an idea of the mental 
situation is to project yourself into some little hamlet where 
there is no newspaper, where the railway engine does not sound, 
and to talk with the man who is fifty and who has never been 
ten miles from his own door. He does not know who is 
President of the United States. He has not heard of 
the Spanish war. His mind is quiet and asleep. As a man he 
is just as fine in character, his thoughts wander as widely, 
his ambitions soar as high while he works in the fields. But 
he knows nothing of contemporary events the world over. 

Let some one of these men go around the world, taking 
a year for it, and then return to the little out-of-the-way town 
by stage; and for another year he will sit in the corner grocery, 
night after night around the fire, or on the porch with 



76 Brewster Ship Masters. 

his chair tipped back against the side of the house, telling the 
others something absolutely new every time he opens his 
mouth. If he was observant on his travels, he learned 
an immense amount and his talks are such an education to his 
friends as was never taught from books. 

That, to a greater or a lesser degree, as you hit upon 
an earlier or a later day in New England, was what happened 
when a young, naturally clever, energetic man came home from 
his long sea voyage from Hong Kong to his Cape Cod town. 
The women of his household wore the prim clothes of their 
neighborhood. He told of the nations he had seen where the 
women went without clothes — much to the embarrassment of 
these women folks and to their absolute unbelief. Still more. 
He brought home dresses from India and China, Japan and 
Europe — all different, all beautiful, all suggestive of something 
entirely new and strange. He told of hundreds of little things, 
yet he could never tell of what he had learned and seen and 
adapted to himself. He could never give anyone else all that 
he had taken into his mind by the agency of his five senses. 

These men who grew up in such towns as Brewster were 
the men of energy of New England. They were ready 
to create, to build up their own fortunes, and in doing so they 
built up the fortunes of their town. 

It is interesting, perhaps, to see what they did for this 
country of ours in those early days. New England, like the 
rest of the Atlantic coast, was full of the spirit of religious 
belief handed down as an inheritance from our ancestors. To 
study and become a clergyman was the ideal of educated life. 
But in the midst of the hereditary ambition to refinement, 
soldiering and high living, these energetic young men began 
to go out from their homes down to the sea in their ships, 
and in due time they came back with new ideas. It began to 
appear that these men had the new things of the town. They 
were the men who were turned to for opinions. They were 
the individuals who were turned to for news. They were 




CAPTAIN JOSEPH H. SEARS 



Brewster Ship Masters. 77 

the people who gradually began to gather in the worldly 
goods of that part of the country. 

Furthermore, as they arrived in other parts of the world 
and discharged their cargoes, it became necessary to look for 
shiploads of other goods to bring home on the return voyage. 
Again and again the return cargoes depended entirely on the 
ability and judgment of the Cape Cod sea captain, who 
perhaps had now grown to own an interest in his vessel. He 
was the sole judge as to whether tea or silk, coal or manu- 
factured goods, were to bring the highest prices in New 
England and make his voyage produce the highest profit. 
These men became the commercial pioneers of the day. They 
gambled on cargoes, and sometimes in those days fortunes 
were made on a single voyage. In a way these were the 
forerunners of the Americans who have put our country 
at the head of the nations in wealth — the men who conceived 
big commercial ideas and carried them out, who later built 
railroads across the continent and laid telegraph wires 
under the sea. 

Some of the stories of these ventures — gambles they were 
really, just as they are today — are always new and interesting, 
though they are so familiar to us all — of the sometime 
captain who suddenly conceived the extraordinary idea of 
sending a shipload of New England warming pans to the 
West Indies, to the unbounded amusement of his townsmen ; 
and who made a fortune out of the cargo, because on its 
arrival in a place where cold was never known the pans 
commanded fabulous prices as utensils for boiling out sap from 
sugar cane. Or, of the New Englander who sent a shipload 
of babies' cradles to California, around the Horn, in '48 and 
sold them at wonderful prices to serve as " rockers " for gold 
mining, just as the first furor of '49 began. Or, still again, 
of the idea of sending ice to the tropics where such a thing 
was never heard of before and where profits of thousands per 
cent, were made. 



78 JBrewster Ship Masters. 

Such men and many, many others, among them those 
of Brewster, were the originators of new ideas in commerce, 
because they saw how different were the conceptions and ideas 
of other peoples and how easily one might broaden and learn 
and try new ventures suggested by the adaptation of foreign 
ideas to the demands of their native land. You have found 
as you have read these biographies that precede in this volume 
hints of such men and what they did in their own quiet way. 
They thought and knew so little of what influences they were 
exerting in their communities that hardly any of them ever 
considered it worth while to keep any record, except the log 
of the voyages. But many of us can remember back in 
the early days of our childhood, which ran from the second 
to the seventh decade of the nineteenth century, that our first 
ideas of the life these men led was gathered from those tales 
of shipwreck and fight and struggle with man and the 
elements, which came out now and then of an evening 
just before bedtime when the family sat about the fire. Some 
of us small ones sat on the sailor's knee and heard how 
at seven bells we saw the old ship go down under full sail, in 
latitude This or That, the wind then blowing lightly from the 
southeast, the mate's boat with eight men to the northward 
and the second mate's boat with seven nearby. And then how 
for weeks and weeks we ate what little we had and sucked 
the water from rain in the bottom of the boat out of an old 
sponge, until in other latitudes and longitudes the good ship 
Something hove in sight and — here we are safe and sound. 

They were real stories of the sea from the lips of the man 
who went through the episodes. They were all in the first 
person, except where the "I" was not at home now to tell of 
it himself, because he had never been seen again. So many of 
that kind there were, too — of Captain Ben This and John 
That, who cleared the port of Liverpool or San Francisco or 
Shanghai on the 10th of February and went to the port from 
which nobody ever « clears " again. That was all they heard 



Brewster Ship Masters. 79 

in those days. What things the wives and mothers must hare 
read between the lines of that wordless record ! — the storm, 
the collision, the rocks, and finally the suffering and end 
wherefrom no one of the ship's crew, no stick nor timber of the 
good ship, was ever even reported by anyone anywhere, except 
in the big Eternal Log. 

That life, that breed of the earth's children, developed its 
part of the country and made it the home of industry and 
brains. The descedants moved in time westward and have 
made now the great Northwest and northern Mississippi 
Valley the centre of the creative energy of our land. They 
were literally the original Captains of Industry. They 
invented the term. And the Captains of Industry today 
are their lineal descendants. 

There are no young sea captains today hailing from Cape 
Cod or New England of the same type as those men told of in 
this book. Not because the breed is dead, but because 
the occasion for them in that line of the world's work 
has passed ; because steam and electricity have done away 
with all such industry and the same brains have turned into 
more up-to-date channels. You often hear a complaint at the 
disappearance of the sea captains — how sad a fact it is that 
they are gone. They are not gone. They have merely become 
captains of other industries more in keeping with the times. 
They have adapted themselves to the new and better 
industries of later days. And it would seem that this 
is a cause for rejoicing instead of complaint. Cape Cod itself 
has, to be sure, little or none of the bustle of other days. But 
the energy is somewhere else and just as strong or stronger 
because of the foundations these shrewd, active men laid in 
their time. Cape Cod itself is not at this moment fitted to be 
a scene of this day's energy, but just as sure as the years pass, 
its day will come again. And in the meantime it has earned 
an honored and well deserved rest from its labor, to prepare 
for another day that is to come. 



80 Brewster Ship Masters. 

But the fine old record of the real men ought to live, and so 
far as the meager records can be discovered they have been 
gathered together for that purpose. 

JOSEPH H. SEARS. 

New York, February 5, 1906. 



H 77 7 



SEP 17 1906 



.0* t 



"o V 1 







1V 














■ft. 1 ' t» v ^»> • O 




8 ^^ 






















^ 















.0 



*...., 










,v 



. L ' * * O A** C ° " ° - ■*& 



V 



.0 



^ 





















.^ 










4 c> 






vpC, 









"> 













o 

5^n o% A>-* 




